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| January 18, 2003 | Saturday | Ziqa'ad 14, 1423 |
Agassi, Venus sail into last 16
MELBOURNE, Jan 17: Americans Andre Agassi and Venus Williams safely made it through to the last 16 of the Australian Open on Friday after recording contrasting wins.
Agassi had to dig deep to overcome determined Frenchman Nicolas Escude 6-2 3-6 6-3 6-4 while Williams crushed Germany’s Anca Barna 6-1 6-4.
The only big casualty of the day was French Open champion Albert Costa. The eighth seed blew a two sets to one lead in losing to fellow Spaniard Felix Mantilla 3-6 6-3 4-6 6-1 6-3.
Second seed Agassi stayed on course to become the first foreign player to win four Australian Opens with a battling win over Escude in a see-saw match.
Williams’s performance was littered with mistakes but the world number two raised her game whenever it mattered to complete an easy win over Barna.
Despite losing the last three grand slam finals and the number one ranking to her little sister Serena in 2002, Venus said she was starting to get back into the groove.
A popular attraction at the Open this year, the American will be public enemy number one when she faces Nicole Pratt in her next match.
Pratt upset 23rd seed Paola Suarez 7-5 6-4 to become the first local women to reach the fourth round of the Australian Open in a decade.
Last year’s Roland Garros runner-up, Spanish world number four Juan Carlos Ferrero had to fight back from a set down before he could book a place in the fourth round with a 4-6 6-3 4-6 6-2 7-5 win over Frenchman Fabrice Santoro.
But the best comeback of the day came from South Africa’s Wayne Ferreira, who recovered from two sets down to beat American Mardy Fish 2-6 3-6 6-1 6-4 6-0 after all seemed lost.
Justine Henin-Hardenne, Lindsay Davenport and Daniela Hantuchova eased through the women’s draw with straight set wins.
Davenport, calling herself an underdog here but playing like a hot favourite, will next play fifth seed Henin-Hardenne.
Davenport, Australian Open champion three years ago, beat Russian Tatiana Panova 6-2 6-1 while the fifth-seeded Henin-Hardenne cruised past Slovenian Katarina Srebotnik 6-2 6-0.
Agassi’s good friend, Armenian Sargis Sargsian, made it past the third round of a grand slam for the first time with a 5-7 7-5 6-0 6-4 win over Australia’s Mark Philippoussis while Frenchman Sebastien Grosjean, Mario Ancic of Croatia and Argentina’s Guillermo Coria also advanced.
Spain’s Virginia Ruano Pascual ended German giantkiller Marlene Weingartner, who knocked out defending champion Jennifer Capriati in the first round, run in Melbourne with a 6-1 4-6 6-4 victory.
Third round results: (prefix number denotes seeding):
MEN’S:
Sargis Sargsian (Armenia) beat Mark Philippoussis (Australia) 5-7 7-5 6-0 6-4; 4-Juan Carlos Ferrero (Spain) beat 28-Fabrice Santoro (France) 4-6 6-3 4-6 6-2 7-5; Wayne Ferreira (South Africa) beat Mardy Fish (U.S.) 2-6 3-6 6-1 6-4 6-0; 2-Andre Agassi (U.S.) beat 29-Nicolas Escude (France) 6-2 3-6 6-3 6-4; Felix Mantilla (Spain) beat 8-Albert Costa (Spain) 3-6 6-3 4-6 6-1 6-3; 12-Sebastien Grosjean (France) beat 24-Nicolas Lapentti (Ecuador) 6-1 6-3 6-3; Mario Ancic (Croatia) beat Peter Luczak (Australia) 2-6 7-6 (7-2) 6-4 6-2; Guillermo Coria (Argentina) beat Jarkko Nieminen (Finland) 7-5 6-2 6-2
WOMEN’S:
7-Daniela Hantuchova (Slovakia) beat Samantha Stosur (Australia) 6-4 6-2; Denisa Chladkova (Czech Republic) beat Evie Dominikovic (Australia) 6-3 6-2; 5-Justine Henin-Hardenne (Belgium) beat 32-Katarina Srebotnik (Slovenia) 6-2 6-0; 12-Patty Schnyder (Switzerland) beat Nadia Petrova (Russia) 6-2 4-6 6-3 2-Venus Williams (U.S.) beat Anca Barna (Germany) 6-1 6-4; 9-Lindsay Davenport (U.S.) beat 24-Tatiana Panova (Russia) 6-2 6-1; Nicole Pratt (Australia) beat 23-Paola Suarez (Argentina) 7-5 6-4; Virginia Ruano Pascual (Spain) beat Marlene Weingartner (Germany) 6-1 4-6 6-4—Reuters
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