Return Winners: The 1995 ATP Miami final

Early in 1995, Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi had begun to establish their rivalry as one of the most compelling in tennis history.

The haircut might’ve been new for Andre Agassi in 1995, but the dedication and focus had been evident for months. The 1994 US Open champion entered the new year on a mission: He won the Australian Open as his partnership with player Brad Gilbert continued to pay off. Agassi beat world No. 1 Pete Sampras in that Australian final, and was steadily gaining ground on the Californian’s top spot in the rankings.

Sampras won their next encounter in Indian Wells, the first “Super 9” event of the year. At the Lipton Championships in Key Biscayne, the world’s top two players advanced to their third final of the young season against each other, but not without some difficulty in the later rounds. Sampras was pushed to three sets in the quarterfinals and semifinals by Andrei Medvedev and Jonas Bjorkman, respectively, while Agassi held off Magnus Larsson in a third-set tiebreak in the semifinals.

Dating back to the 1993 Key Biscayne tournament, Sampras had won 29 matches in a row in the two tournaments that comprised the “Sunshine Double.” The two-time defending Key Biscayne champion won the first set over Agassi, 6-3. This marked the fourth set in a row Sampras had won over Agassi. Agassi, the 1990 Key Biscayne champion, wasn’t ready to concede anything and played one of the best sets of his career. He won the last 17 points of the second to take it 6-2.

Agassi won the first two points of the third set before the streak ended. In the final frame, the two went toe-to-toe with no breaks of serve. The first four points of the tiebreaker went to the server before Agassi turned it up to win four of the next five points. He found himself with multiple match points, but only needed one to capture his third title of the year.

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With his win in the final, Agassi evened the head-to-head record against Sampras in title matches at three wins apiece.

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Through his first five tournaments of 1995, Agassi had won three titles, finished runner-up in one and reached the semifinals of the other for a record of 25-2.