Agassi overcomes deficits to defeat Pavel before record crowd

NEW YORK -- Andre Agassi refused to go gently into the night in his final tournament by coming back to beat Andrei Pavel of Romania 6-7 (4-7), 7-6 (8-6), 7-6 (8-6), 6-2 at the U.S. Open on Monday.

Knowing each time he steps on the court could be his last match as a pro, Agassi kept overcoming deficits in his opening match and pushing his 36-year-old body around Arthur Ashe Stadium for 3½ hours.

Most of the Open-record night session crowd of 23,736 were on their feet when Agassi's eyes welled up with tears as he served out the final point after midnight.

"You want it to be everything you hope it is," Agassi said. "It was perfect."

There were moments, though, when it looked as if Agassi would be bidding adieu for good. After he lost the first set, for example. And especially when he fell behind 4-0 in the third set, causing his wife, former star Steffi Graf, to pace a bit.

After struggling early, Andre Agassi dominates the final set. (Getty Images)

"I thought," Pavel said, "'I have him."'

Yet that's when Agassi found the energy and shots to reverse things. Coincidence or not, Agassi went on a five-game run shortly after motioning to his coach, Darren Cahill, to bring him some freshly strung rackets. It also was around that time that Pavel -- a 32-year-old ranked 77th who hadn't played a hard-court match since March -- was visited by a trainer.

Agassi got to a third tiebreaker, then dominated the final set.

It was a fitting way to cap a day that celebrated three of the sport's most significant figures. Before Agassi's match, the U.S. Tennis Association rededicated its facility, naming it the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. And Jimmy Connors was on the scene, too, coaching Andy Roddick and soaking in the adoration.

Roddick began this year's last major by beating Florent Serra of France 6-2, 6-1, 6-3, and joined four other past Open champions in the second round: Justine Henin-Hardenne, Lindsay Davenport, Svetlana Kuznetsova ... and, of course, Agassi -- bad back, 9-7 record this year, and all.

Second-seeded Henin-Hardenne breezed past Maria Elena Camerin of Italy 6-2, 6-1, No. 10-seeded Davenport defeated Klara Zakopalova of the Czech Republic 6-1, 6-4, and No. 6 Kuznetsova beat Sandra Kloesel of Germany 6-2, 2-6, 6-3.

Meanwhile, Feliciano Lopez of Spain ousted third-seeded Ivan Ljubicic 6-3, 6-3 6-3 in the first big upset, a fate barely avoided by Agassi.

"I want to be here real bad, for the whole two weeks," Agassi said. "I really want to leave my best stuff on the court. ... I'm very proud of this day, and I'm glad it gets to happen again."