July 28, 2002	Sunday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 17,1423

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LOS ANGELES, July 27: Defending champ Andre Agassi advanced to the semifinals of the 400,000 Los Angeles ATP event, beating Brazil’s Gustavo Kuerten 7-6 (7/3), 3-6, 6-4 Friday.

Agassi blasted two consecutive aces in the final game of the third set to set up the match point against the three-time French Open champion Kuerten.

He put the match away with a backhand winner that dropped over the net and out of the reach of Kuerten in front of a sold out crowd of 7,115 at the Los Angeles Tennis Center on the UCLA campus.

Both players used their powerful serves to dominate but Kuerten had the edge in aces 17-11.

Agassi broke Kuerten in the seventh game of the third set, smashing a forehand down the line on a service return to make it 4-3.

Agassi moves on to face No.8 seed Max Mirnyi of Belarus, who will be playing in his third semi of the year.

The other semifinal will be an all-American affair featuring hard-serving teenager Andy Roddick against unseeded Jan-Michael Gambill.

Mirnyi used his large frame and strong serve to chase Frenchman Michael Llodra around the court.

With the score 6-4 in the second-set tiebreaker, Mirnyi hit a forehand winner to take the match.

Llodra said he was pleased with his play this week. On Thursday, he upset French countryman and No. 3 seed Sebastien Grosjean 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7/3).

Friday was the first time though he had faced Mirnyi.

Roddick, the No. 4 seed, raises his career record against Malisse to 4-0.

Roddick is seeking his third title of the year after having won in Memphis and Houston.

Results (x denotes seeded player):

QUARTERFINALS: Andre Agassi (USA x2) bt Gustavo Kuerten (Bra x5) 7-6 (7/3), 3-6, 6-4; Andy Roddick (USA x4) bt Xavier Malisse (Bel x7) 6-4, 6-4; Max Mirnyi (Blr x8) bt Michael Llodra (Fra) 6-4, 7-6 (7/4); Jan-Michael Gambill (USA) bt Nicolas Kiefer (Ger) 7-5, 7-6 (7/5).

CORRETJA ROUTS GAUDIO

KITZBUEHEL (Austria): Alex Corretja overpowered sixth seed Gaston Gaudio 6-3 6-1 in the semifinals of the Austrian Open Saturday to stay on course for his second crown at this Tyrolean resort.

The eighth seed from Spain, champion on the clay here in 2000, unleashed the same powerful game against Argentina’s Gaudio which had stunned top seed and French Open champion Albert Costa in the quarterfinals.

Corretja and Gaudio faced each other only two weeks ago in the Gstaad final, which the 28-year-old Spaniard won.

Gaudio, one of the rising stars of the season with victories in the Barcelona and Mallorca Opens, tried to counter Corretja’s blistering shots from behind the baseline with deceptive drop shots.

But Corretja refused to be outwitted and ran down every ball, invariably rounded off with a winner.

Corretja, who with this semifinal victory has now notched up his 400th career win, next plays either second seed compatriot Juan Carlos Ferrero or Argentine Mariano Zabaleta.

“Tomorrow will be a best of five which is always really hard,” Corretja said of the final.

SEMIFINALS: 2-Juan Carlos Ferrero (Spain) beat 12-Mariano Zabaleta (Argentina) 6-7 (2-7) 7-5 6-3; 8-Alex Corretja beat 6-Gaston Gaudio (Argentina) 6-3 6-1.—Reuters