AUSTRALIAN OPEN Safin breaks Agassi in semi

Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin-Hardenne are in the women's singles final.
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) -- Marat Safin blew a two-set lead, then broke Andre Agassi in the fifth set en route to a 7-6 (6), 7-6 (6), 5-7, 1-6, 6-3 victory in the semifinals of the Australian Open today.
Agassi, the defending champion, had his 26-match winning streak at Melbourne Park snapped. He seemed to be in control after the fourth set, but faltered in the fifth. It was a tough loss for Agassi, who called it "the toughest day I've had."
"Marat played at an incredibly high level," Agassi said. "I forced him to play at that level the whole time. Sometimes you just need a little luck at the right time. I had chances that went away."
With Agassi serving at 2-1 in the fifth set, Safin broke with a good serve return that Agassi hit wide. He never gave Agassi a chance to break back again, holding serve the rest of the way and finishing off the match with a backhand winner down the line after 3 hours, 42 minutes.
"I don't have the words to describe what I'm feeling now," Safin said. "I don't have anything [left] inside me now."
Women's finalists
Justine Henin-Hardenne and Kim Clijsters will play for the women's No. 1 spot after winning their semifinals in straight sets to set up another all-Belgian Grand Slam final. Clijsters hopes the third time is the charm after Henin-Hardenne beat her for the French and U.S. Open titles last year to ascend to the top ranking.
Safin, the 2000 U.S. Open champion and runner-up at the Australian Open in 2002, came into the tournament ranked No. 86.
Asked if he was playing as well as during his peak, Safin said: "It's so long ago, I don't really remember."
Fourth-seeded Agassi had two set points before losing the first in a tie-breaker. Safin saved one on his own serve at deuce in the 10th game, when he hit a backhand winner down the line. Agassi's next set point was at 6-5 in the tiebreaker, but Safin saved with a backhand return at Agassi's feet. Safin went ahead 7-6 with a forehand down the line and clinched the set with his 12th ace.
They swapped breaks in the second, and Agassi fended off two break points while serving at 5-6 to force another tie-breaker. He again had a set point at 6-5, but Safin followed with a backhand winner, his 20th ace, and another solid serve return that Agassi hit long.
Agassi got one set back by breaking Safin at 5-6 in the third. With the crowd cheering him loudly after he went ahead 15-40 for his first break point of the set, Agassi sent back a service return that Safin jammed into the net.
Temper, temper
Safin, known for his temper, was soon muttering to himself after a backhand into the net gave Agassi an early break in the fourth set. Agassi broke again to go up 5-1 and took the set with a serve that Safin couldn't get back.
Safin, who turned 24 on Tuesday, regained his composure in the deciding set. He made few errors in the fifth, and pumped his fists after hitting the winning shot. He will face the winner of Friday's semifinal between second-seeded Roger Federer and No. 3 Juan Carlos Ferrero for the championship.
Agassi, who was seeking his ninth Grand Slam title, had won the last three times that he played in the Australian Open, missing only in 2002 while recuperating from wrist surgery.
Safin, a former No. 1 whose ranking tumbled because of wrist problems last year, has proven throughout this tournament that he still has the talent to win big matches.
The unseeded Russian knocked off top-ranked Andy Roddick in the quarterfinals and had 33 aces against Agassi, one of the game's best returners. Just as important, he largely kept his famed temper in check despite the pressure on packed center court.