Agassi reaches final in LA

Andre Agassi [Images] reached his first final of the year at the Los Angeles Open with an easy 6-4, 6-2 win over Argentine Juan Ignacio Chela on Saturday.

The top seed, playing again after two months out with a sciatic nerve injury in his back, moved closer to a fourth title at the hard-court tournament he won in 1998, 2001 and 2002.

The 35-year-old, ranked sixth in the world, will bid for his 60th title in Sunday's final after a career that includes eight grand slam trophies.

He will face Luxembourg's Gilles Muller, who saved two match points in the 12th game of the second set as he turned the tide for a 4-6, 7-6, 6-1 upset of second-seeded Slovak Dominik Hrbaty.

"When I won the tie-breaker, that was very important for my confidence," said Muller, who beat Agassi in their only previous match last August in the Washington semi-finals.

"I tried everything at the end of the third set and it all worked. I'm so happy to be in the final and playing against against a living legend."

Agassi continued his build-up to form after only six days of practice following his injury, using a vast reserve of big-match experience to control Chela, a decade his junior.

"It was a great sign to play two hours in the quarters (against Paradorn Srichaphan [Images]) then come out today and amp up early," said an upbeat Agassi. "I responded beautifully. I haven't felt that in a number of years."

Agassi broke the 47th-ranked Argentine for a 4-3 lead in the opening set, smashed a winner for 5-3 and claimed the set in 38 minutes with a service on his second set point.

That momentum drove him to an opening break in the second set and the crowd favourite then secured a 5-2 lead with another break before finishing the job with his fifth ace.

"I felt a bit flat coming out," Agassi told reporters. "I wasn't ready for him to be so aggressive. I felt the urgency early on, I didn't want him deciding points."

Agassi, playing his fourth semi-final of the season, heads into his 88th career final and his first since Stockholm in October when he lost to Thomas Johansson.

The American won his last title nearly a year ago when he beat Australian Lleyton Hewitt [Images] in Cincinnati.

© Copyright 2008 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon.