Johansson survives to set up fourth round Oz Open match with Agassi
by Richard Pagliaro
21 January 2005

Joachim Johansson may hope his muscle memory suffers from amnesia when he steps on court to face Andre Agassi, a man who dispenses punishment as easily as a Pez dispenser delivers candy, when the pair play for the first time in the fourth round of the Australian Open.

Seeking to reduce the stress on the strained hamstring he suffered in Sydney last week, Johansson rolled through the opening two rounds of the Australian Open without surrendering a set. On Friday, the 11th-seeded Swede survived a strenuous marathon match that tested his legs, serving shoulder and nerve. In the end, Johansson won one more point than Feliciano Lopez in gutting out a grueling 6-3, 3-6, 5-7, 7-6, 13-11 victory in a match that lasted nearly four hours and ended at about 11 p.m. Melbourne time.

The pair produced a total of 72 aces (Johansson hit 38 aces and Lopez lashed 34 aces) and 13 double faults. Johansson, who hit 99 winners compared to 76 for Lopez, won exactly one more point than his opponent (200 to 199) to advance to his third straight round of 16 in a major following his semifinal appearance at last September's U.S. Open.

A match that featured wall-rattling serving turned on a double fault from Lopez, who saved four break points in the game, that gave Johansson a service break and a 12-11 lead in the decisive set that spanned 84 minutes. The 22-year-old Swede served out the match to secure his spot in the fourth round.

Johansson, who upset Andy Roddick in a five-set quarterfinal conquest at the 2004 U.S. Open, plays with the fearlessness of youth empowered by one of the most devastating serves in the sport. In three tournament victories, he has dropped serve just three times.

The man who grew up in Sodertalje, the same Swedish town where 11-time Grand Slam champion Bjorn Borg was raised, is fulfilling the prodigious potential he showed in soaring 101 ranking sports in one year — finishing the 2004 season ranked No. 12 after concluding 2003 ranked No. 113.

A fan favorite in Melbourne — due to the fact he dates Jaslyn Hewitt, Lleyton Hewitt's sister and possess an explosive game — Johansson is widely regarded as the best Swedish threat to win a major since Thomas Johansson surprised Marat Safin to win the 2002 Australian Open. Swedish Davis Cup captain Mats Wilander has watched Johansson development and believes he is a capable Grand Slam contender, but must continue to mature as a match player first.

"I don't think he's a candidate yet to win a Grand Slam, but he's a candidate to beat a Federer or a Hewitt, and he beat Roddick in the U.S. Open," Wilander told The Australian yesterday. "We are putting a bit of pressure on him but at the same time, he's responded to that in the last 12 months by coming out and totally changing his game. He's gone to 11 in the world in 12 months, so I suppose we're a little surprised he's there already. Now it remains to see what happens from here. He's been playing Davis Cup, and he's a great kid, so I think he can handle it."

The question confronting Johansson is how will his body hold up after against Agassi after his demanding duel with Lopez. Agassi has the ability to turn baseline rallies into suicide drills for opponents whose legs and lungs are sapped by running repetitive sprints in pursuit of Agassi's deep drives. Court coverage is Johansson's weakness and the 34-year-old Agassi will undoubtedly make him move.

Before the four-time Australian Open champion can get to Johansson's legs, he must first put his returns back in play against the six-foot-six Swede who has swatted 76 aces in three matches. Agassi enters this match knowing Johansson will play hard ball and focusing on a serve approaching him so fast it will look about as big as a BB at times.

"I never like playing big servers. I like playing people that hit the ball very soft all the time," Agassi said. "I don't care if they're serving or playing a forehand or backhand, the softer the better as far as I'm concerned. You know, he's a guy, he throws the ball up, there's a few guys out there that, when they go for their shot, there's nothing you can do about it. You just hope that you can make them do it over and over again and do it in pressure situations and take your chances when you do get them."

In addition to his experience, the biggest advantage Agassi carries into this match is his backhand. Johansson is most vulnerable on his one-handed backhand and Agassi owns the best two-handed backhand in the business. Look for Agassi to not only persistently pound away at Johansson's one-hander, but to also play his crosscourt forehand wide to stretch out the Swede before coming back with the sharp angled backhand crosscourt that will force Johansson to hit his backhand on the run. That shot sequence should enable Agassi to exploit two of Johansson's weaknesses — his backhand and his mobility and based on the fact the bigger man may be feeling fatigue from the four hours on court against Lopez, Agassi will be in no hurry to conclude the baseline rallies. Tennis can be a very cruel and sometimes arguably unfair sport.

Publicly, Agassi says he will assess Johansson's strengths and weaknesses as the match progresses. Privately, he knows if he can get Johansson's big serve back — not a given — and avoid hitting short balls to his forehand, he should enjoy an edge from the backcourt.

"He has one of the biggest serves and biggest forehands in the game. I mean, there's no question about that," Agassi said. "I don't have a good sense for his movement. I don't have a good sense for his backhand. I don't have a good sense for his volleys. I don't have a good sense if he likes the ball up high or he likes the ball low. I have to sort of assess from what I see and then be able to make adjustments. Hopefully I can give him a few things to worry about, too, and we can call it even."

From Johansson's perspective, he will need to come up with another strong serving day. Hitting 38 aces and 99 winners he still barely squeaked by the 24th-seeded Lopez in a match with a combined 121 net approaches. Rallies should be longer in the fourth-round showdown, and Johansson's best chance against the ultra-consistent Agassi is to take his best shot on the first semi-short ball he gets.

The Las Vegas native was once the ultimate baseline gambler who swung for the lines, but Agasi rarely beats himself these days and will carry the confidence that comes with a 47-4 career record in Australia onto the court.

"I think Andre's best, top level was probably higher five or six years ago, but he doesn't really hit his lowest level too often now," Wilander told Tennis Week. "What Agassi does so well is he consistently plays closer to a higher level now, with fewer up and down days. He's worked to stay at that level and that gives him the chance to beat the best player in the world on any given day."

Since the draw was released, a potential Agassi-Federer quarterfinal has been the most-highly anticipated match on the men's side. The top-seeded Swiss' fourth-round opponent, Marcos Baghdatis, and Agassi were the only men to take a set off Federer in his march to the U.S. Open title and now Federer and Agassi are one win away from renewing their rivalry again.