AGASSI HAS THE ANSWERS HE PATCHES UP HIS GAME TO DEFEND TOURNAMENT TITLE.

Byline: Matthew Kredell Staff Writer

Suddenly, Wimbledon seems much further away.

The excruciating month spent questioning himself during long nights awake with his 9-month-old son is over. The questions are answered. His future, even at 32 years old, is as optimistic as ever.

Andre Agassi locked away all doubts Sunday, using dominating ground strokes to beat Jan-Michael Gambill 6-2, 6-4 and win his second consecutive Mercedes-Benz Cup title in front of 7,043 at UCLA Tennis Center.

``This tournament helps put it behind me,'' Agassi said. ``There's no tournament bigger than Wimbledon so you have to put it in perspective. But it's also nice to play your tennis again and give yourself that belief that you're ready for the U.S. Open.''

Agassi lost in the second round at Wimbledon last month and hasn't made it past the quarterfinals in a Grand Slam event this year. The U.S. Open in late August is his last chance to salvage the season.

Agassi, seeded second, said he leaves with no questions remaining about his game. He lost only one set, to Gustavo Kuerten in the quarterfinals, in winning his third Mercedes-Benz Cup title in five years. Only Jimmy Connors (four) has won more.

``Any time you've beaten these guys out there, you are doing something special,'' Agassi said. ``It's not easy. And it's getting harder and harder. You never know when it's going to be the last one. This really puts me in a good position for the summer. I'm feeling good about my game.''

Gambill, who was unseeded, ran into trouble on the north side of the court that faced the afternoon sun. Seven times, he threw the ball into the air, squinted and caught the ball or let it drop.

He started spinning his serve in from that side, allowing Agassi to come up and pound returns. Gambill was broken three consecutive service games on the north side.

But the break that hurt the most, tied at four games in the second set, was from the other side of the court.

Agassi played his classic game, sneaking in front of the baseline to jump on balls early and pull out most baseline rallies.

``No matter how good you play, there is always going to be somebody better than you,'' Gambill said. ``I don't think I played badly. I tried different strategies and they just didn't work today.''

It is Agassi's fourth title of the year and the 53rd of his 16-year career. His last title was in early May.

This was the fourth time Agassi and Gambill have met in the Mercedes-Benz Cup. Gambill hasn't won a set. Agassi leads Gambill 8-2 all time.

Gambill compared Agassi's game now to when he first played him.

``He used to go for more shots,'' Gambill said. ``He's just smarter. He's one of those guys who notices everything on the court ' With a guy like that, it's tough to fool him. He's learned he has the ability to direct shots like that and doesn't need to go for the ball until he has a strike at it. He used to just rip balls and make a lot more errors.''

In the doubles final, Sebastien Grosjean and Nicolas Kiefer beat former UCLA standout Justin Gimelstob and Michael Llodra 6-4, 6-4.

Attendance for the week was 83,917, the second-highest turnout in the 76-year history of the tournament (87,161 in 2001).

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Photo:

Andre Agassi hits a backhand to Jan-Michael Gambill in the Mercedes-Benz Cup final Sunday.

John Lazar/Staff Photographer