TENNIS INTERNATIONAL PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIPS : Berger’s Best Shots Follow Loss to Agassi

When the match was done, Jay Berger still had some shots left for Andre Agassi.

Agassi beat Berger, 5-7, 6-1, 6-1, in Friday’s semifinals of the International Players Championships at Key Biscayne, Fla. The oral volleys afterward concerned not the match, but Agassi’s withdrawal earlier this month from Davis Cup.

Agassi has criticized Coach Tom Gorman’s handling of the U.S. team.

“A guy like Andre Agassi doesn’t have too much to complain about,” Berger said. “The guy’s making all the money he can possibly want. He’s getting tons of credit. I think it’s a little bit of a shame that he just doesn’t go play Davis Cup.”

But Agassi said he is devoting all of his energy to the International Players Championships. Fifth-seeded Agassi will play in Sunday’s final against No. 3 Stefan Edberg, who swept No. 15 Emilio Sanchez, 6-1, 7-5.

Edberg dominated the first set, then clinched the second set by breaking Sanchez in the final game with two spectacular winners. The Swede zipped a running forehand from behind the baseline past Sanchez to make the score 30-30, then hit a backhand from off the court around the net post and into the corner to set up match point.

Sanchez, who upset top-ranked Ivan Lendl in the fourth round, was finished in 76 minutes.

The women’s final today will pit No. 3 Monica Seles against No. 15 Judith Wiesner.

Berger, seeded seventh, won the final five games of the 62-minute first set but could do little thereafter against his former Davis Cup teammate. Both players said Agassi’s superior physical condition was the difference.

“I felt so strong,” Agassi said. “I was so geared to hitting a thousand balls and making him work. I think he was getting a little tired and making errors on crucial points.”

In the pivotal second set, Agassi won the last five games and 16 of the final 19 points. He survived four break points in the second game of the final set to tie it 1-1, then broke at love in the third and fifth games for a 4-1 lead.

Berger was hurt by six double faults and 46 unforced errors. The final two sets took only 56 minutes.