Andre Agassi wins debut in U.S. Open Pickleball Championships

Andre Agassi, coach of Bulgaria's Grigor Dimitrov watches his fourth round match against United States' Frances Tiafoe at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, Jan. 20, 2019. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Andre Agassi emerged victorious in his professional pickleball debut, teaming with Anna Leigh Waters to record an 11-8, 9-11, 11-7 win in the mixed pro division at the U.S. Open Pickleball Championships on Wednesday in Naples, Fla.

Agassi, who turned 55 on Tuesday, joined forces with the 18-year-old Waters to dispatch 13-year-old Stevie Petropouleas and 16-year-old Tristan Dussault.

Agassi, who won eight Grand Slam titles during his Hall of Fame tennis career, has played pickleball only in an amateur capacity before this tournament. He relied heavily on Waters, the No. 1-ranked female pickleball player in the world.

“Coming out here with Anna Leigh, I was more nervous than a gypsy with a mortgage,” Agassi said in a post-match interview with CBS Sports Network. “This is a metaphor for life: choose your partners well.”

Agassi’s unforced error allowed the Petropouleas-Dussault duo to level the match before heading to the third game. Agassi’s team, however, won six of the first eight points before its opponents rallied to tie the score.

Undaunted, the Agassi-Waters tandem regained their serve and ran off four consecutive points en route to winning the match.

The Agassi/Waters tandem will face Trang Huynh-McClain/Len Yang, who on Tuesday defeated Ben Newell and Glauka Carvajal Lane 11-9, 11-3.