Four-times champion Andre Agassi moved into the last 16 of the Australian Open without dropping a set as he held off fellow American Taylor Dent 7-5, 7-6, 6-1 in an entertaining match on Friday.
The 34-year-old looked in ominous form as he rallied from 4-1 down in the first set to book a first career meeting with big-serving Swede Joachim Johansson, the 11th seed.
"It feels like there are not a lot of guys who play the game he (Dent) does and if you're not on your game he's one of the worst to play," Agassi said.
"But I feel good about the way I played tonight. I was moving well and feeling healthy so it was all good."
With his serve and volley game working sweetly, 29th seed Dent surprised Agassi in the opening set with the early break.
But once the eighth seed found his range on his passing shots, Dent was always struggling and Agassi broke in the seventh and 11th games on his way to the set.
Agassi saved three set points at 5-6 in the second set, and after taking the tiebreak 7-3, he raced through the third, clinching victory with a stinging forehand return.
The American, who said he was fully fit after a hip injury he suffered four days before the start of the event, admitted that Johansson would be a tough opponent.
"That's not going to be easy," he said.
"I mean, I've seen his game. I've admired it from a distance many times, quite powerful. Never playing somebody before, it's hard to know how their game feels and how your game matches.
"But I know there's not a whole lot of room to make mistakes out there."
Agassi won the title in 1995, 2000, 2001 and 2003.
