HAMBURG, Germany – Andre Agassi and Marat Safin, the top
two remaining seeded players in the German Open, were upset in the
second round Wednesday.
|  | | Andre Agassi returns to Fabrice Santoro on Wednesday. |
Agassi, seeded third, lost 6-3, 5-7, 6-4 to Frenchman Fabrice
Santoro, while the second-seeded Safin was beaten 6-0, 7-6 (0) by
Argentina's Gaston Gaudio.
That left only four seeded players still in the draw, with No. 7
Lleyton Hewitt beating Spain's Fernando Vicente 3-6, 6-2, 6-4 to
reach the third round. Hewitt is the highest-seeded player left.
"A bit disappointing," Agassi said. "Today was one of those
days you wish it was three-out-of-five. I found myself not playing
the same high percentage that got me there."
After trading breaks with Agassi, Santoro broke again to take a
3-1 lead in the opening set, which he easily protected.
In the second, Santoro broke Agassi's opening serve when Agassi
netted an easy forehand, then held for a 2-0 lead. But the six-time
Grand Slam champion broke back to go 2-2 with a blistering backhand
passing shot down the line.
Agassi continued to struggle, however, saving a break point in
the next game and going to deuce eight times before losing.
Slowly finding his rhythm, Agassi appeared to turn the game
around late in the second, breaking Santoro at 6-5 for the set,
then breaking again en route to a 4-1 lead in the third when the
Frenchman sent a high-bouncing ball into the net.
But Santoro regained his serve at 4-2 before claiming Agassi's
to go 5-4. Then, serving out the final set, Santoro clinched the
victory with an ace that Agassi barely reached for.
"It was a difficult start," Agassi said. "He came out playing
well, not making any errors and it took me a while to find my
rhythm.
"It's just a shame when you work hard for 2 hours, 20 minutes,
then play a bad six minutes and lose the match. I went from 4-1 to
5-4 in what felt like just a few minutes."
Agassi's defeat came only two weeks before the French Open.
Agassi has had a slow start to his clay court season, losing in the
opening round at the Italian open last week and losing in the first
round at Atlanta before that.
"It would be nice to still be in the event," Agassi said.
"But a couple of matches is better than one match. So I'll try to
find the bright point in it, which isn't very bright, then move
forward.
"Hopefully by the French and playing three of five I'll find
myself hitting a rhythm, get through a few matches there. There's
not much I can do at this point."
Safin's defeat extended his season-long woes.
The U.S. Open champion, who was beaten by Swiss teen-ager Roger
Federer in the second round at Rome last week, still is seeking his
first title of the season.
Safin didn't win his first game until making it 1-1 in the
second set. In the second-set tiebreaker, he fell behind 6-0 lead,
then lost when he double-faulted.
In other second-round matches, Morocco's Hicham Arazi saved nine
match points in a 2-6, 7-6 (8), 7-5 comeback victory over home hero
Tommy Haas, who was booed off the court.
In one of several matches interrupted by rain, 14th-seeded
Jan-Michael Gambill beat Marcelo Rios 6-3, 6-4.
Eighth-seeded Juan Carlos Ferrero of Spain defeated Israel's
Harel Levy 7-6 (5), 6-3 for his 13th consecutive victory.
Ferrero, the Italian Open champion, has won four titles this
season -- three on clay -- and an 18-1 record on the red surface. He
now is considered one of the top contenders for the French Open.
On Sunday, Ferrero downed world No. 1 Gustavo Kuerten at the
final in Rome, then beat two-time French Open champion Sergi
Bruguera in the opening round at Hamburg.
Rain forced organizers to close the retractable roof over center
court. Later, thunderstorms and hail forced the postponement of
matches on secondary courts.
 Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories |
|
ALSO SEE
Wednesday's results
Top-ranked Kuerten falls in French Open tuneup
Agassi won't support Wimbledon boycott
|
