Andre Agassi shook off a slow start to beat Mark Philippoussis 4-6 6-3 6-2 in the fourth round of the Miami Masters tennis tournament.

Agassi converted only four of 14 break-point chances, but he stayed patient until Philippoussis' game began to unravel.

Watched by his Davis Cup team-mate Lleyton Hewitt, Philippoussis suffered an early break to go down 1-3 but rallied back with two breaks of his own to claim the opening set.

When the big-hitting Australian double-faulted to give Agassi the lead at 2-1 in the final set the match was all but over.

"There's no doubt he's more mentally tough than me, obviously," Philippoussis said.

"I lost my way a bit in the second set and let it get away from me.

"I definitely had my chance out there."

Philippoussis finished with 28 winners but also 38 unforced errors.

"He's an aggressive player, no question," Agassi said.

"He takes the match in his own hands on so many shots. So you always want to leave room for the possibility of him just missing. That's as good of a win as any, if you can get your opponent to miss."

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