A year to remember
My top 10 moments in tennis from an incredible 2005
Posted: Tuesday November 29, 2005 11:37AM; Updated: Tuesday November 29, 2005 1:14PM
Andre Agassi and James Blake battling it out until the wee hours of morning in the U.S. Open quarters was classic tennis theater.
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Outspoken ATP tennis pro Justin Gimelstob is a frequent contributor to SI.com. Click here to read all of his columns.
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6. Shanghai Masters Cup final, David Nalbandian upsets Federer
This roller-coaster match twisted and turned all the way to the final point. Federer was in complete control after winning the dramatic second-set tiebreaker 13-11. But while his month off to treat an ankle injury didn't adversely affect his standard of play, it definitely slowed down his fitness and stamina. Nalbandian dominated play in the third and fourth sets against an obviously hampered Federer and surged to a seemingly insurmountable lead in the fifth and final set. But as the world's No. 1 served for the match, the momentum switched one final time, and Nalbandian eventually closed it out in the fifth-set tiebreaker.
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1. U.S. Open quarterfinals, Agassi vs. James Blake
Great tennis and even greater drama on the biggest stage in the American game. Two of the best ambassadors in the sport played their hearts out under the lights for a spot in the semifinals, all decided by a tense fifth-set tiebreaker that Agassi finally won. The two-time U.S. Open champion summed it up accurately when he stated, "I wasn't the winner, tennis was."