Rafter beats Agassi to enter final

Ossian Shine

Australian Pat Rafter reached his second successive Wimbledon final when he beat Andre Agassi 2-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-2, 8-6 in one of the great Centre Court thrillers on Friday.

The Australian third seed, beaten last year by Pete Sampras and playing almost certainly his last Wimbledon, meets either sixth seed Tim Henman of Britain or Croatian wildcard Goran Ivanisevic in Sunday's final.

In a match of outstanding tennis and unremitting tension, Rafter was two points away from defeat at 5-4 in the final set, with Agassi serving.

But he won the next seven points to break back and claimed three match points on Agassi's serve as errors finally crept into the American second seed's game.

The double U.S. Open champion won a place in the final with a backhand pass on his third match point as Centre Court rose to acclaim both exhausted men.

"Andre had a couple of opportunities early in the fifth set to put me away but he didn't so I feel very, very fortunate," Rafter, 28 said.

"Nothing went his way today - he had some dodgy line calls and got a code violation in a really tense situation."

COUNTER-PUNCHER

Agassi, the game's best counter-puncher, and Rafter, a classic serve-vollyer, were meeting in the Wimbledon semifinals for the third year running and the quality of tennis reached the heights of their classic five-setter in 2000, considered the match of that tournament and won by Rafter.

The 31-year-old Agassi dominated long stretches of Friday's match from the baseline but Rafter's agility and volleying kept him in touch.

Agassi, the oldest semifinalist since John McEnroe in 1992, dazed Rafter with the quality of his returns of serve in the first set, going 4-1 up in just 15 minutes and winning the set with a thumping backhand.

Rafter rediscovered rhythm on his serve in the second set, and began volleying with more confidence.

He pounced on the American's serve in the second game, forcing a series of errors, and made the vital break when Agassi put a forehand wide.

Rafter produced his 10th ace for set point in the ninth game, followed by another big serve that Agassi, the 1992 champion, could only return into the net.

QUALITY TENNIS

The second set saw tennis of a quality rarely seen in these championships and if anything the standard rose further in the third.

Rallies included almost every variety of shot as games went with serve until the sixth. It was Rafter, last year's losing finalist, who weakened first.

He sent an easy volley into the net, saved a break point, double-faulted to allow the American another then put a forehand wide to hand Agassi the all-important break for 4-2.

Agassi, showing the greater consistency, was able to hang on to his own serve and took the set with a fine delivery that Rafter could only return tamely into the net.

Controversy entered the high-octane contest in the fourth set when Rafter broke Agassi's service in the sixth game after two close line calls by the same line judge at the American's end.

One of these calls, when a backhand by Rafter deep to the corner was given in, presented the Australian with a vital break point which he converted. Agassi was incensed and asked the umpire to "get rid of him (the judge)".

Obviously rattled, he lost his service again to allow Rafter to draw level at two sets all.

FIGHTING

But the Las Vegan came out fighting in the deciding set and broke Rafter in the first game with two sensational returns. Rafter saved four break points in his next service game but Agassi seemed set for a tilt at his eighth Grand Slam title.

But Rafter held his nerve to break back to 5-5 and the momentum seemed to be with the Australian again.

Agassi held under pressure to level the set at 6-6 and he then came back from 40-0 down to earn a break point which Rafter saved with a clever drop volley.

Agassi was warned for swearing after Rafter earned game point with a shot close to the baseline, and the third seed came through to take the game.

As the crowd roared themselves hoarse, the Australian earned three match points as Agassi made two consecutive errors on his backhand and one on his forehand.

Agassi saved two, but Rafter converted the third with a high backhand pass to take the set 8-6 and the match.