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. Todd Martin, 1999 US Open men's singles final
Andre Agassi, who turned 50 on Wednesday, partied like it was 1999 when he defeated compatriot Todd Martin in that year's US Open men's singles final.
Seeded No. 2 at the event (behind Pete Sampras, who withdrew before the tournament with a back injury), Agassi dropped just two sets in six matches as he stormed to the final. Martin, seeded seventh, won a pair of five-setters on his way to the championship match, including a fourth-round showdown against No. 9 seed Greg Rusedski in which he came back from two sets down.
The final would also go the distance. Agassi continued his strong form by taking the opener, but Martin edged sets two and three, both in tiebreaks, to move within a set of his first Grand Slam title.
Perhaps that's where Agassi's experience began to show. Playing in his 10th major final (to Martin's second), Agassi rose to the occasion down the stretch, battling back to win the fifth of his eight career Slams.
The victory moved Agassi ahead of Sampras to No. 1 in the ATP Rankings. He would go on to finish the year at the top spot, ending Sampras' six-year run as year-end No. 1. In addition to the US Open title, Agassi was also the French Open champion and a Wimbledon finalist in '99. He would continue his hot streak in 2000, kicking off the new year with the Australian Open title.
The complete final showdown, along with scores of other great content, is now available to watch on the USTA YouTube channel. For a coming attraction, check out the highlights below.
