Agassi, 34, wasn't even sure he would play in Cincinnati until a few weeks ago, when he was still recovering from an inflamed hip that forced him to skip Wimbledon.
The hip was fine when he arrived. The confidence was another matter.
One unforgettable tiebreaker cured that, too.
"That was definitely one for the memories," Agassi said, after riding the crowd's emotions to his 806th career win, tying Stefan Edberg at fifth place on the career list.
When the tournament opened on Monday, Agassi wasn't tough enough to pull off such a win. In five days, he's come a long way.
"I'm much more committed to everything I do now than I was at the start of the week," Agassi said. "A tiebreaker like that could have exposed my confidence."
Instead, it multiplied it.
The 14-12 tiebreaker was so enthralling that Agassi got caught up in the moment. When he tied it at 9 with an overhead slam, Agassi headed back to the baseline to serve. Moya went to the bench and sipped a bottle of water.
Agassi had forgotten that it was time for a break.
He fought off six set points during the tiebreaker. Moya survived three before two errant shots finally decided the 61-minute set.
Moya dumped a backhand into the net, giving Agassi a 13-12 lead and a chance to serve it out. Moya dropped his racquet in frustration and bent over for several seconds following the pivotal shot.
Moya then sailed a forehand, and a crowd that has supported Agassi from the outset erupted with raised fists.
"Every point is so crucial, so it can take a lot out of you emotionally," said Agassi, seeded 11th. "Every point is like a break point. It gets a little nerve-racking."
The crowd was on its feet again in the third set, when Agassi guessed right and gained control. He broke Moya's serve by anticipating where he was going with an overhead slam, returning it from the baseline for a 5-3 lead.
Agassi survived four break points in the final game before closing it out with a nasty forehand into the corner.
"I had my chances and didn't make any of them," a dejected Moya said, referring to the tiebreaker. "I took risks and didn't make them. After that, he played even better than he was in the first set."
Roddick overpowered wild-card entrant Tommy Haas 6-3, 6-3 to set up a rematch with one of his favorite players. Agassi befriended him when he was 17 years old, beat him twice that year, and has a 4-1 career record against Roddick.
Windy conditions in the afternoon helped decide one of the matches. Hewitt kept his poise and beat Marat Safin 6-4, 6-4.
Tenth-seeded Hewitt, who hasn't lost a set during the tournament, took advantage of 30 unforced errors by Safin, who got frustrated by the 15mph wind.
RSS