GAMBILL IS PAYING OFF AGASSI AWAITS HIM IN FINAL.Byline: Matthew Kredell Staff Writer Jan-Michael Gambill Jan-Michael Charles Gambill (born June 3, 1977 in Spokane, Washington, U.S.) is an American tennis player, who made his professional debut in 1996. He's best known for his unusual double-handed forehand. admits he's no longer young but insists he isn't done. Entering the middle of his tennis career never having fulfilled his potential, Gambill isn't ready to defer to the next group of young American stars. Age does have its advantages, as the unseeded Gambill showed in a 7-5, 6-3 victory over 19-year-old phenom phe·nom n. Slang A phenomenon, especially a remarkable or outstanding person. Andy Roddick Andrew Stephen "Andy" Roddick (born August 30, 1982) is an American professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. He is the top-ranked American player and fifth-ranked player in the world as of October 1, 2007. He finished sixth in the 2006 ATP Race. in the semifinals of the Mercedes-Benz Cup at UCLA UCLA University of California at Los Angeles UCLA University Center for Learning Assistance (Illinois State University) UCLA University of Carrollton, TX and Lower Addison, TX on Saturday. Gambill, advancing to his first final of the year after three semifinal appearances, will play second-seed Andre Agassi Andre Kirk Agassi (born April 29 1970, in Las Vegas, Nevada) is a former World No. 1 professional tennis player from the United States who won eight Grand Slam singles tournaments and an Olympic gold medal in singles. today at 1 p.m. in the fourth all-American Mercedes-Benz final in a row. An American is assured to win the tournament for the seventh consecutive year. ``One more win, one more match is really what I need to get where I want to be,'' said Gambill, 25, who peaked at No. 14 in the world in June 2001 but has dropped to No. 53 since. ``I truly feel like I'm a top-15 player. I think this is my biggest win of the year.'' Roddick, ranked No. 12, dominated most of the opening set with a forceful serve and forehand forehand the head, neck, shoulders, withers and forelimbs of the horse. . He was serving for the set at 5-4 when the chair umpire overruled the line judge and turned an ace into a fault. After questioning the call, Roddick seemed to fall apart. He lost the game on Gambill's backhand winner. Then, serving to force a tiebreaker tie·break·er n. An additional contest or period of play designed to establish a winner among tied contestants. Also called tiebreak. tie , Roddick couldn't put away Gambill's short, defensive lob at 30-30. At break point, Roddick shanked shank n. 1. a. The part of the human leg between the knee and ankle. b. A corresponding part in other vertebrates. 2. a. The whole leg of a human. b. A leg or leglike part. the serve off his racket frame to double fault. Late in the first set, Gambill made an adjustment that turned his play around. Realizing he couldn't return Roddick's serves from the baseline, he backed up 10 feet and neutralized Roddick's main advantage. Also, on the side of the court with blinding sun, he stopped going for big serves and instead used kick serves that gave Roddick trouble. Despite many serves around 90 mph - Roddick frequently served at more than 120 - Gambill had 12 aces to Roddick's six. ``Guys that are great are able to change their games during the match,'' Gambill said. ``That's something that I haven't been the greatest at in the past. I'm getting better at it.'' Gambill, who missed about 15 tournaments early in the year because of a sore shoulder, has struggled this season. He hasn't made it past the second round of any Grand Slam grand slam n. 1. The winning of all the tricks during the play of one hand in bridge and other whist-derived card games. 2. Sports The winning of all the major or specified events, especially on a professional circuit. . The last time he advanced to a final was April 2001. This will be the fourth time Agassi and Gambill have met in the Mercedes-Benz Cup. Agassi won all three, including a straight-sets victory in last year's quarterfinals. Agassi leads Gambill 7-2 all time. Agassi, the defending champion defending champion n (SPORT) → defensor/a m/f del título defending champion n (Sport) → champion(ne) en titre , played his best tennis of the tournament in a 6-4, 6-2 victory over eighth seed Max Mirnyi Max Mirnyi (Belarusian: Максім Мірны, Maksim Mirny; born July 6, 1977, in Minsk) is a tennis player from Belarus. of Belarus. The first set was 4-4 when Agassi drilled a backhand return to break serve. Agassi ran off seven games in a row, breaking Mirnyi's first two service games in the second set to take a 4-0 lead. The commanding advantage allowed him to go for big shots that thrilled the crowd. Agassi lost just one point on serve in the final set. He finished with an ace. ``I kind of got into a rhythm,'' Agassi said. ``A lot of things went my way. I returned well. I started loosening up with my ground game and controlled the match.'' Mirnyi, ranked No. 29, said he was happy to play Agassi for the first time in his career. He called Agassi the best player he has faced and said he wanted to see how a great player exploited his weaknesses. ``I didn't feel that I did something wrong,'' Mirnyi said. ``Andre plays great under pressure, and he showed me why he's one of the best players ever to play the game.'' CAPTION(S): 2 photos, box Photo: (1 -- color) Jan-Michael Gambill keeps his eye on the ball during his semifinal victory over Andy Roddick. (2) Jan Michael-Gambill reacts after advancing to the final of the Mercedes-Benz Cup, his first of the year. Hans Gutknecht/Staff Photographer Box: TODAY'S FINAL |
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