Agassi shows young guns he's still the boss

While some of the biggest names in tennis begin to slow down and a new crop of youngsters make their mark on the game, Andre Agassi remains the exception.

The American won his third Australian Open on Sunday with a clinical 6-4 6-2 6-2 win over Frenchman Arnaud Clement to confirm his place as one of the greats and let the young pretenders know he's not quite finished yet.

"I think if I really play my cards right, this can be the start of an incredible year," the 30-year-old Agassi said.

"I came into this tournament feeling like my game was very solid. I was in a good position physically and it got better each day."

Agassi's win was as convincing as it was predictable. The American came into the first grand slam of the year brimming with confidence after winning for a second time 12 months ago even though he was seeded sixth.

The Rebound Ace courts suit his baseline game and he quickly made it apparent that he was the man to beat as he raced through the first three rounds without dropping a set.

REAL SCARE

He only dropped three sets all tournament and his only real scare came in the semifinal against Pat Rafter. The Australian led two sets to one but cramped in the last two sets and lost in five.

Clement, who saved two match points and clawed back from two sets down to beat his good friend and fellow Frenchman Sebastien Grosjean in a five-set semifinal to make his first grand slam final, was no match for the experienced Agassi, conceding defeat in 105 minutes.

"It was impossible to beat him," Clement said.

"I have beaten him twice before so I was determined just to play my game but he was two or three levels higher.

"I don't think anyone would have beaten him from the baseline."

While Agassi seems to get better with age, some of his rivals are looking less certain. Rafter, a two-time U.S. Open champion, is two years younger than Agassi but has already said he may retire at the end of the season.

World number three Pete Sampras, winner of a record 13 grand slam titles, says he will play on but was well below his best during the Open, struggling in his early round matches before losing to Todd Martin in the fourth round.

Michael Chang lost in the first round and Goran Ivanisevic didn't even get past the qualifiers.

ELBOW INJURY

None of the world's top four even made it to the quarter-finals. Brazilian number one Gustavo Kuerten was blasted out by Briton Greg Rusedski in the second round while U.S Open champion Marat Safin fell to Dominik Hrbaty in the fourth round, troubled by an elbow injury that forced him to quit a lead-up event.

World number four Magnus Norman lost to Grosjean in the fourth round but won the hearts of the crowd and the respect of his peers when he unselfishly ignored a "let" call on match point which would have given him a second chance.

"My mother always told me when I was growing up that I should play hard but also fairly," the Swede later explained.

Yevgeny Kafelnikov, Australian Open champion in 1999 and runner-up to Agassi in 2000, made as many enemies as friends when he complained that tennis players don't make enough money before he fell to Clement in the quarters.

The Russian, who owns a private jet and has amassed more than US$18 million in career prizemoney, was promptly told by Agassi to "buy some perspective."

It was a tournament to forget for host nation Australia. After losing the Davis Cup final to Spain in December, Australians were hoping for their first local winner in a quarter of a century but were again left waiting.

Former U.S. Open finalist Mark Philippoussis was ruled out of the tournament even before it began while promising teenager and seventh seed Lleyton Hewitt was bundled out by Spain's Carlos Moya while Rafter's brave run ended when his legs gave way on him against Agassi.

Agassi's final win gave him a seventh grand slam title. At 30, Agassi said he cherishes every one because it could be his last but promised to come back and defend his title again next year.

"You never know when the last time you're going to be here is, and it never ceases to be overwhelming," the American said.