Monday, March 31, 2003 | 9:10 a.m.
KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. -- Holding her 17-month-old son, Steffi Graf watched nervously from the players' box, rooting for the bald fellow on stadium court to break her tournament record.
And that's what Las Vegas' Andre Agassi did. He won his sixth Key Biscayne title, including the past three in a row, by beating Carlos Moya 6-3, 6-3 Sunday in the Nasdaq-100 Open.
Graf, who retired in 1999, won five Key Biscayne titles from 1987 to 1996.
"I finally beat her at something," Agassi said, grinning during the trophy ceremony.
One month shy of his 33rd birthday, Agassi heads into the clay-court season as the player to beat. He's ranked No. 2, but No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt lost his opening match at Nasdaq, while Agassi improved to 18-1 this year, best on the men's tour, with three tournament titles.
"It has been incredible," he said of his start in 2003, which includes his eighth Grand Slam title at the Australian Open. "It's hard to believe it's all still possible out there. It's hard work, and it's a lot of luck and staying healthy. I've been blessed with a body that's holding up."
Agassi, who won his first Key Biscayne title in 1990 when he was 19, earned $500,000 and completed a successful weekend for defending champions. Serena Williams won her second consecutive Nasdaq title Saturday by beating Jennifer Capriati 4-6, 6-4, 6-1.
Agassi has won 57 tournament titles thanks mostly to powerful groundstrokes and a service return touted as perhaps the best ever. His serve will never be overwhelming, but it's now faster and more shrewdly placed than when he was younger.
Against Moya, Agassi smacked eight aces despite a tricky breeze, lost only seven of 38 points on his first serve and was never broken.
"He played great," Moya said. "The key was his serve and my serve. I'm supposed to serve better than him, and today I didn't."
Moya was the fresher player because he had Saturday off. But Agassi made sure that stamina wasn't a factor by finishing off the Spaniard in one hour, 11 minutes.
When asked how he would have felt as a fan paying $50 or more to watch such a short match, Agassi smiled and replied: "Glad that I won. I would have given an extra $50 walking out, just because I won."
Agassi's serving was all the more impressive because he nearly withdrew before the tournament because of a sore shoulder.
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