April 27, 2003	Sunday	Safar 24, 1424

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HOUSTON (Texas), April 25: Andre Agassi continued to roll, but fellow American James Blake wasted an early advantage Friday and fell to French qualifier Olivier Mutis in the quarterfinals of the 380,000-dollar US Men’s Clay Court Championships.

The top-seeded Agassi crushed Brazilian qualifier Ricardo Mello 6-0, 6-1, and advanced to his second straight semi-final at the Westside Tennis Club.

Blake, the third seed, stumbled in the quarter-finals here for the second straight year as Mutis triumphed 6-4, 6-7 (3/7), 6-1.

Agassi turns 33 on Tuesday but remains in sensational form. The reigning Australian Open champion raised his 2003 match record to 21-1. The winner of 60 ATP titles, he has dropped just five games in his first three matches this week.

The Las Vegas native hopes to improve upon last year’s semi-final performance here, where he lost in straight sets to long-time rival Pete Sampras.

Agassi awaits the winner of Friday night’s quarter-final between compatriot Mardy Fish and Austria’s Jurgen Melzer. Fish will be making his third quarter-final appearance of the season.

A year ago, Blake was beaten in the quarter-finals by eventual champion Andy Roddick, who is the second seed this week.

The 23-year-old Blake has dropped three straight quarter-final matches. Last month, he lost to Argentina’s Mariano Zabaleta at Scottsdale and Brazil’s Gustavo Kuerten at Indian Wells.

Playing his first ATP event on American soil, Mutis registered the biggest win of his career. Ranked 90th in the world, he recorded eight of the combined 13 service breaks in the two-hour, 10-minute tussle.

Roddick continued his quest for a third straight Houston title on Friday evening, when he meets Brazil’s Fernando Meligeni in the other quarterfinal.

Results (quarterfinals):

Olivier Mutis (FRA) bt James Blake (USA) 6-4, 6-7 (3/7), 6-1; Andre Agassi (USA) bt Ricardo Mello (BRA) 6-0, 6-1; Andy Roddick (USA) bt Fernando Meligeni (BRA) 6-3, 4-6, 6-4; Jurgen Melzer (AUT) bt Mardy Fish (USA) 7-5, 2-6, 7-5.