Andre Agassi makes his U.S. Open Pickleball Championships debut

In his first professional pickleball match, Andre Agassi defeated Anna Leigh Waters 11-8, 9-11, 11-7 in the mixed pro class at the U.S. Open Pickleball Championships on Wednesday in Naples, Florida.

Agassi, who turned 55 on Tuesday, teamed up with Waters, 18, to defeat 16-year-old Tristan Dussault and 13-year-old Stevie Petropouleas.

Agassi, a Hall of Fame tennis player who won eight Grand Slam titles, had only ever played pickleball as an amateur prior to this competition. He was largely dependent on Waters, the world’s top-ranked female pickleball player.

In an interview with CBS Sports Network following the game, Agassi stated, “I was more anxious than a gypsy with a mortgage coming out here with Anna Leigh.” “This is a metaphor for life: choose your partners well.”

Before the third game, the Petropouleas-Dussault team was able to tie the score thanks to Agassi’s unforced error. However, Agassi’s team took six of the first eight points before the opposition came back to even the score.

Undeterred, the Agassi-Waters team recovered their serve and won the match with four straight points.

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