AGASSI PASSES RUSEDSKI TEST AMERICAN REACHES QUARTERS BY RALLYING PAST NEMESIS.

Byline: Gerry Gittelson Staff Writer

Saving his best tennis for when it counted most, Andre Agassi came from behind to defeat hard-serving nemesis Greg Rusedski 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 in the second round of the Mercedes-Benz Cup before a sold-out crowd of 7,656 at UCLA's L.A. Tennis Center Thursday night.

At 4-4 in the final set, Agassi rallied from 40-15 to break service, then held by burning Rusedski with four consecutive passing shots to take the match in 1 hour, 59 minutes.

Rusedski had beaten third-seed Agassi twice in a row.

``It was a hard-fought match from start to finish,'' Agassi said. ``In the third set, I think we both picked things up and raised our standard of play, and we both had our chances. Against every player, you have do things a little bit different, and with Greg, sometimes the better you hit it at him, the better he hits it back. I felt like I did everything I needed to do, and I had a little luck at the end.''

In an interesting matchup of Rusedski's power and volley strategy vs. Agassi's patient baseline game, Agassi scored most of his key points with deep, well-placed passing shots as Rusedski approached the net.

``At the end I didn't get my first serve in enough, and that's all it takes against someone of Agassi's standard,'' Rusedski said. ''That was the whole key. I have to give Andre credit. He played very well.''

Rusedski's first serve consistently came in at over 120 mph, and occasionally reached 135 mph, and he recorded 11 aces. But Agassi actually had a higher winning percentage on first serves - 70 to 57 percent - and it was Agassi who displayed brute power and impressive strength in the final game, when he put Rusedski away with three wicked passing shots and a 119-mph ace.

Agassi won the first set in methodical fashion, breaking Rusedski to move ahead 4-2.

But in the second set, Agassi committed too many unforced errors. On many of Rusedski's winners, Agassi got to the ball soon enough, but his timing was off, and his feet unsteady.

Rusedski played his best tennis at the end of the second set, as his volley game was working and his backhand showing improved velocity.

But Agassi's experience paid off in crunch time against a player he had lost his last two meetings with.

Agassi, going for his 49th career title, meets last year's finalist Jan-Michael Gambill in the quarterfinals today at 3 p.m.

--Safin upset: Belgium's Xavier Malisse shocked No. 2 seed Marat Safin of Russia, 7-5, 6-3.

``I was a little shaky in the beginning, but then I get into a zone and played one of the best matches of my life, certainly my biggest win,'' Malisse said. ``Any ball that came, I thought I could get to it and make a good shot. Today was really a good day.''

Malisse, a third-year pro who celebrated his 21st birthday last Thursday, entered 48th in the ATP rankings. But he outplayed Safin in every facet, recording eight aces with no double faults, and winning 92 percent (23 of 25) of his first serve points

``It's tough. I hit the ball OK, but I just didn't have confidence and the ball didn't go,'' Safin said. ``He played well, but if I was playing good he wouldn't have been so great. Right now, I'm just not comfortable and have no confidence. I hope it will come.''

In what figures to an interesting quarterfinal between upstarts, Malisse meets wild card Taylor Dent, who upset sixth seed Carlos Moya in the first round and beat Max Mirnyi Wednesday.

``I know Taylor has a tough serve (142 mph), and he'll be tough to meet, so it should be a good match,'' Malisse said. ``It's always fun to have a challenge, and both of us want to get into the semis.''

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Photo:

(color) Andre Agassi more than held his own in second-round victory over Greg Rusedski.

J. Terrill/Associated Press

Box: AT A GLANCE