A high-level tennis source from Las Vegas said the smart money Sunday will be on Roger Federer against 18-year-old Rafael Nadal in the final of the Nasdaq-100 Open.
"I'm going to go out on a limb," Vegas native Andre Agassi said. "I'm going to say the person who's 47-1 over the past seven months is the favorite."
It's tough to bet against the top-ranked Federer when he has won 17 consecutive finals and 21 consecutive matches. He extended the latter streak Friday night by beating six-time champion Agassi 6-4, 6-3 in the semifinals.
"He's playing levels above everybody else," Agassi said. "He has proved that for a while now."
In 48 matches dating back to the start of the US Open, Federer's only loss was to Marat Safin in the semifinals of the Australian Open.
Nadal, 18, plans to show up for the best-of-five match anyway. After all, the left-handed Spaniard upset Federer the only time they met -- in the third round at Key Biscayne a year ago.
"I am not scared for the final," Nadal said in slightly broken English. "Last year against Federer, I play one of my best matches in my career, no? I play unbelievable, and I really hope I play the same match this year."
Federer will take on the youngest men's finalist in tournament history after beating the oldest player in the 96-man draw.
Agassi, 34 and playing at Key Biscayne for the 19th year in a row, had the stadium crowd chanting his name but spent most of the night on the defensive against Federer, who hit 30 winners and saved his best serves for tight situations.
"I had to come up with the right shots at the right time," Federer said. "I felt the heat out here with the fans behind him. It was extremely tough.''
Agassi, seeded ninth, played Federer on even terms for the first nine games, and the only breakpoint chance of the opening set came on the final point. A 29-shot rally finally pulled Agassi off the court, and he yanked a crosscourt forehand inches wide to lose serve and the set.
"Long rallies are always kind of interesting because it's like a boxing match," Federer said. "The tough one gets through."
Federer placed his shots so precisely that on one exchange he landed one shot on one sideline, then hit his next stroke on the other sideline for a winner. As the match slipped away, Agassi quibbled about calls, grimaced, shook his head and waved his hands in dismay.
His best opportunity for a comeback occurred when he earned his only break-point chances -- five of them -- at 3-3 in the second set. Federer erased two with aces and another with a service winner and won the 18-point game.
When Federer broke for the second time to lead 5-3, the impassive Swiss pumped his fist, then served out the victory.
Agassi lost to Federer for the seventh time in a row, his longest losing streak against one opponent in his career.
"There are number of departments of his game that are arguably better than anybody," Agassi said. "It does help to have a number of weapons."
Nadal, seeded 29th, won his 15th match in a row by beating unseeded David Ferrer 6-4, 6-3. But the difference between Ferrer and Federer is more than just a couple of letters.
Federer is bidding for his fifth tournament title of 2005. He'll try to become the first top-seeded man to win the Key Biscayne title since Pete Sampras in 1994.
"If he don't play very, very well, and I play one of my best matches," Nadal said, "I think I have a little bit chance, no?"
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