With the current suspension of the ATP and WTA Tours, we are opening up our US Open vault to bring you full match videos of classic encounters through the years in New York.
Watch on YouTube: Andre Agassi vs. Robby Ginepri, 2005 US Open men's singles semifinals
En route to his last appearance in a Grand Slam final, Andre Agassi needed to overcome an inspired effort from an unseeded compatriot.
The 2005 Open is one for the history books already, as it saw former Grand Slam champions Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and Stan Wawrinka compete in New York for the first time, but it was also notable due to performances from home favorites.
Despite 2003 champion and No. 4 seed Andy Roddick's shock first-round defeat to Luxembourg's Gilles Muller, three of the eight quarterfinalists were American. In addition to No. 7 seed Agassi and Ginepri, wild card James Blake had an inspiring run to the last eight before losing to Agassi in five sets, after taking a two-sets-to-love lead.
Ginepri defeated Roddick's conquerer with ease in the second round, and from there, embarked on a giant-killing run to defeat three seeded players—all in five sets—en route to his first Grand Slam semifinal. The American defeated No. 20 seed Tommy Haas, No. 13 seed Richard Gasquet and No. 8 seed Guillermo Coria to book his place opposite Agassi, who also came through a five-set match with Xavier Malisse in the fourth round.
Despite plenty of tennis in their legs across the first five rounds, Agassi and Ginepri thrilled the New York crowd in a match that lasted nearly three hours. The victory earned Agassi a berth in his 15th career major final, and made him, at age 35, the oldest US Open finalist since 39-year-old Ken Rosewall in 1974.
The Agassi-Ginepri showdown, along with scores of other great content, is now available to watch on the USTA YouTube channel.
