Ageless Andre Agassi continued to defy the odds and elude retirement by shocking number eight seed Marcos Baghdatis in a five-set thriller on Thursday to advance to the third round of the US Open.
Spurred on by a raucous crowd of nearly 24,000 at Arthur Ashe Stadium that cheered his every shot, 36-year-old unseeded Agassi edged the Australian Open finalist 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 5-7, 7-5.
Agassi, playing the final tournament of his illustrious career, needed a cortisone shot for his ailing back after his excruciating four-set win over Andrei Pavel on Monday.
But he took center stage on Thursday night looking fresh, relaxed and ready to have some fun.
His precision groundstrokes kept the 21-year-old Cypriot off-balance early in the match, forcing him into repeated mistakes, especially on the backhand side.
Baghdatis committed 40 unforced errors in the first two sets but settled down in the third, breaking Agassi's serve to take a 5-3 lead before serving out for the set.
Agassi held a 4-0 lead in the fourth and appeared ready to close out the match and prepare for German qualifier Benjamin Becker in the third round.
SECOND WIND
But the hard-serving Baghdatis suddenly found his game, his legs, and his stamina to win seven of the next eight games to force a decisive fifth set.
They exchanged early breaks in the final set but with Baghdatis serving at 5-6 and battling severe cramps in both thighs, Agassi broke the Cypriot's serve to close out the three-hour, 48-minute contest.
"I got up 4-0 in the fourth set but it wasn't my back that was getting tight, it was my throat, my breathing," a smiling Agassi told the crowd. "I fought so hard. This means the world to me."
Elsewhere on the men's side, number two seed Rafael Nadal needed nearly three hours to subdue Peru's Luis Horna 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 while former champion Lleyton Hewitt advanced with a 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 victory over Jan Hernych of the Czech Republic.
The top women breezed through their second-round matches at the National Tennis Center with the notable exception of number eight seed Martina Hingis, who was blitzed 6-2, 6-4 by 112th ranked Virginie Razzano of France in just over an hour.
"I think it's not only that she played well, I didn't play good," said Hingis, who appeared a step slower the entire match. "I think I let her play well, and then she just opened up, lost the fear, and played exceptional."
Among the women that progressed in straight sets were top seed Amelie Mauresmo, number two Justine Henin-Hardenne, third seed Maria Sharapova, and former champion Lindsay Davenport, the 10th seed.
SERENA STROLL
American Serena Williams, unseeded because of a lack of match-play due to injury, marched into the third round with a 7-5, 6-3 victory over number 17 seed Daniela Hantuchova.
Hantuchova was serving for the first set at 5-3 but played a loose game to allow Williams back into the match. Two ill-timed drop shots and two double faults put Williams back on serve and shifted momentum to the two-times Open champion.
Williams said the double faults "opened the door" for her to stage a comeback.
"She seemed to be a little nervous," she said. "It was definitely a big game."
Martina Navratilova, 49, playing her last tournament, won her first round doubles match with Nadia Petrova, defeating Lilia Osterloh and Ahsha Rolle of the US 6-1, 6-1.