Thursday, May. 21, 2009
Agassi/Courier — 1991
Two sun-kissed kids from the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Florida met in the first all-American final since 1954, a match that marked the beginning of a golden period for American tennis and the ascendancy of the manically focused, big-hitting Bollettieri style that still dominates the game today. Andre Agassi was the prodigiously talented but flaky star; Jim Courier the gritty understudy. But after 3 hours 19 minutes of excruciating play and a total of 123 unforced errors on the windswept day, it was Courier's determination that won out, taking the match 3-6, 6-4, 2-6, 6-1, 6-4. Both would go on to win multiple grand slam tournaments.