By Nick Georgandis
Photo Credit: Matthew Chamlin

(March 1, 2011) Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras were on their best behavior Monday night for their exhibition at Madison Square Garden.

And like he was more often than not in their professional rivalry, Sampras was best.

The 14-time Grand Slam champion defeated his greatest rival 6-3, 7-5, with a shot that tipped off the net and fell for a winner at triple match point.

The players seemed friendly and professional on the court, a far cry from last March's "Hit for Haiti" doubles match the two played with Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.

Playing with microphones on, things got a little tense when Agassi mocked Sampras for his stinginess with money, much as he did in his best-selling autobiography "Open." Sampras responded with a high serve at Agassi's head.

“We’ve straightened it out,” Agassi said. “Like I’ve said 150 times, it was a complete mistake on my part. ‘Hit for Haiti’ raised a lot of money; we did a lot of good things. But we unfortunately had a microphone on our mouths, and I was talking a lot. One thing wasn’t good.”

Sampras and Agassi played each other 34 times as pros between 1989 and 2002. Sampras won 20 of the matches. They played in five Grand Slam finals, with Sampras winning four of them.

Agassi told Tennis Now about his memory of beating Sampras, "It was a thrill to win..beating Pete anytime is something you don't forget."

It was the pair's first time playing each other in New York since their final pro meeting, the final of the 2002 US Open, which Sampras won 6-3, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, his final Grand Slam title.

In the undercard, John McEnroe retired with a twisted ankle while leading Ivan Lendl 6-3 in a one-set, first-to-eight games event.

The consummate showman, the 52-year-old McEnroe expressed frustration with his injury, playing Lendl for the first time since 1992.

The pair met 36 times overall, with Lendl having a 21-15 edge. McEnroe injured the ankle while warming up for the exhibition earlier that evening. Four of those meetings came in Grand Slam finals, with Lendl winning thrice.

A crowd of 17,165 turned out for the event.

For more photos at the BNP Paribas Showdown click here