-You really got to hand it to Andre Agassi. After already winning one exciting match to extend his farewell tour here in New York, he did it again in even better fashion in a five set match against Marcos Baghdatis which had more twists and turns than the Cyclone. I knew this would be a good match but it sure didn’t look like it after Agassi captured the first two sets against the struggling Baghdatis. Would a match against such a talented player who reminds many of a young Andre be routine? The 21 year-old Australian runner-up provided that answer when he fought off two break points in the seventh game of the third set to hold and then finally broke Agassi and then served out the set to get back in the match. But when Agassi recovered to surge ahead 4-0 in the fourth set, it looked like he would cruise to a four set win. But you have to give it up for Baghdatis. The fiery Cypriot never quit and pulled off a remarkable comeback by taking seven of the final eight games to force a dramatic final set which was eerily reminiscent to last year’s Agassi-James Blake quarterfinal epic. So you thought Baghdatis’ comeback was great? When he broke Agassi in the opening game, it was the player 15 years younger that needed treatment for a cramp in his hip. Talk about an inopportune time for that. He had the momentum and then needed a five minute break. With the Ashe Stadium crowd chanting, “Let’s Go Andre,” the two-time U.S. Open champion gave them what they wanted by breaking back right away. The dramatic conclusion of seeing Baghdatis cramp to the point where he was literally playing on one leg trying to break Agassi in a crazy ninth game which featured eight deuces and four break points was unbelievable. And to think the crowd booed the guy. Anyone could see how much pain he was in. And he still almost pulled off the incredible and might’ve served it out. Instead, Agassi held and would pull it out with one last break, keeping Baghdatis from reaching a winner take all tiebreaker.

And so it lasted almost four hours and concluded at about 12:45 AM here. For the 23,000+ who were there standing and cheering, worth every penny. And that’s what sticks in the mud like The Post’s Phil Mushnik will never comprehend. Was it late? Sure. But if you’re a diehard fan and it doesn’t matter what sport. If the event is that exciting, you’re staying for the duration. So you lose a couple of extra hours of sleep. Sports are fun and a way to get away from the everyday life cycle.

I think what I liked most about the match was how much respect they had for each other after it concluded. That kind of sportsmanship is great to see. Much like Blake last year, it was a pity there had to be a loser. But that’s the breaks sometimes as Baghdatis now knows. He’ll be back as USA’s John McEnroe pointed out in studio earlier tonight. He’s that good. If he’s smart, he’ll get in even better shape so that in his next big match, he doesn’t cramp. And maybe that’s what’s amazing here. Agassi had the bad back and needed a cortisone injection just to play last night. He’s the one who you’d think might wear down. But it hasn’t happened yet because outside of that back, he’s in phenomenal shape. It’s ashame the back hasn’t allowed him to play a full schedule and go out the way he would’ve liked. Still, he is doing the next best thing and finishing at his favorite tournament where some of his biggest supporters come out and treat him the way they treated the incomparable Jimmy Connors during that unreal semifinal run at the age of 39. Now comes word that Agassi was laid up in bed the whole day and didn’t even get out to practice due to how stiff his back was. And he had an anti-inflammatory shot just to try to relieve some of the pain. So you think he could use the predicted rain that’s coming tonight and tomorrow to get an extra day off? Maybe God’s working with him in this last quest. Who knows?

Final thought on Agassi. What his matches the past two years have done for the Open and tennis is bring the kind of attention it deserves. When you have fans calling up WFAN the last day to discuss his latest great match, you know what it means. It is a great sport. But it certainly helps that it’s a popular player who’s done as much off the court as he has on the court. With raising so much money for charity and opening a school for troubled kids back home in Las Vegas. This guy gets it. If there were more Andre Agassis, the world would be a better place.