Agassi Wins Fourth Title

Monday, January 29th 2001, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) â€” Crushed by Andre Agassi's pinpoint heavy hitting, Arnaud Clement wanted to know whether it was a normal effort or something special by his opponent in the Australian Open final.

So he asked Agassi as they waited for the trophy presentation.

``He seemed pretty surprised at the question,'' the French speedster recounted. ``Then he said, 'Oh, it was pretty good.'''

Agassi appeared to be in his comfort zone through most of the 1-hour, 46-minute match, running the No. 15 seed from side to side in a 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 victory.

It was Agassi's fourth title in his last eight Grand Slam tournaments, and came at an age â€” 30 â€” when many players have retired or, like his semifinal victim, 28-year-old Patrick Rafter, are seriously considering it.

Agassi has won three Australian Opens, including the last two, and seven Grand Slam tournament titles in all.

``This must look a lot easier than it feels,'' said Agassi, who played in the tennis equivalent of the minor leagues and put in strenuous physical training to work back up from a ranking of 141st in 1997.

He rates Clement as probably the fastest player on the tour, adding, ``He can really hurt you with his speed. ... There's a whole different rhythm to the match.

``I had to answer his weapons and establish mine. I felt like I did that pretty effectively,'' Agassi said. ``I think if I really play my cards right, this can be the start of an incredible year.''

Last year, the Australian Open was the only tournament Agassi won. Back, hamstring and hip injuries set him back, and Clement accounted for Agassi's second-round exit at the U.S. Open, beating the defending champion 6-3, 6-2, 6-4.

``Today his game was two or three levels higher,'' said Clement, whose best previous Grand Slam performance was reaching the quarterfinals at the U.S. Open. ``For me, it was impossible to beat him today.''

Clement, 23, the first Frenchman to reach the final in Australia since Jean Borotra won in 1928, had to fight off two match points in the third set to win a five-set semifinal Friday against friend and doubles partner Sebastien Grosjean.

But he said he wasn't tired, and cited the beginning of the third set as evidence of his energy.

In the 11-minute, 16-point first game of that set, he saved four break points before losing his serve. In the fourth game, he forced Agassi to struggle through 10 minutes, 18 points, four break points and six deuces to hold for a 3-1 lead.

Agassi won 10 straight points in closing out the first set and taking a 2-0 lead in the second. He finished the second set by serving a love game with three aces.

``You never know when the last time you're going to be here is,'' Agassi said during the trophy ceremony. ``It never ceases to be overwhelming. All the work and all the training that goes into putting yourself in this position is difficult and hard, but it's worth it.''

By winning his seventh Grand Slam tournament, Agassi moved ahead of Stefan Edberg and Boris Becker. Others with seven major titles include John Newcombe, John McEnroe and Mats Wilander.

Pete Sampras, who heads the list with 13, lost to fellow American Todd Martin in the round of 16. Agassi then beat Martin in four sets and two-time U.S. Open champion Rafter in five on his way to the final.

After receiving his runner-up plate, Clement shuffled two pieces of paper to laughter from the crowd and said he had to read his speech because of his difficulties with English.

``To compete in a Grand Slam final is something that seems unreal to me,'' Clement said. He then paused, choking back tears. ``I would like to congratulate Andre for his tournament and his fantastic career.''

Asked later if he had prepared two speeches, he said, ``Just one. I just have to change a few words if I win.''

While underdog Clement couldn't pull off an upset, Jennifer Capriati convincingly beat No. 1 Martina Hingis for the women's title.

In her first Grand Slam tournament final, Capriati won 6-4, 6-3 on Saturday.