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MONTREAL, Aug 9: Andre Agassi suffered his first career loss to German Rainer Schuettler, going out 2-6, 6-2, 6-3 on Friday night to the man he thrashed in Australia eight months ago - then announced he’s done with tennis until the US Open starts.
Last January, Agassi crushed Schuettler in straight sets to lift the Australian Open crown.
Until the pair’s quarterfinal meeting at the 2.45-million-dollar Masters Series, the American had not dropped a set against Schuettler, eighth in the world.
That all changed as the underdog fought through from a set down to clinch the win against the 33-year-old tennis icon.
“I won’t be playing in Cincinnati,” Agassi said of the Masters Series starting Monday where he was seeded Number one.
“I’ve had enough matches. I’ll spend a couple of weeks getting ready for the Open and roll the dice.”
Agassi shrugged off reports that he might be bothered by a hip problem, saying: “He out-played me from the baseline, I got caught flat-footed a few times. My serve was nothing special, but that’s not a shot I tend to rely on, so it shouldn’t have mattered.”
The American had not dropped a set all week before Schuettler went to work.
Agassi, winner of eight Grand Slam titles, is now 32-9 in Canada with three titles, the last taken in 1995 over Pete Sampras.
Schuettler was playing in his tenth quarter-final of the season and improved to 38-20 overall.
Schuettler was thrilled with his upset. “I’m so happy, he’s kicked my ass a few times, so this is a really great win for me. I felt pretty down after the first set, I wasn’t very optimistic. But I changed my tactics a bit, I ran and I rallied.
“I played well and that’s the most important thing.”
The German had 34 winners and broke Agassi on five of ten chances. The American produced only 18 winners in the one-hour, 50-minute matchup.
Roger Federer and Andy Roddick set up a re-run of this summer’s Wimbledon semi-final as both advanced.
Switzerland’s Federer, the All England club champion, turned in an impeccable performance on his 22nd birthday, celebrating with a a 6-2, 7-6 (7-3) victory over good friend Max Mirnyi.
The pair, their coaches, trainers and some friends, were due for a dinner out in cosmopolitan, Francophile Montreal to celebrate Federer’s big win on a big day.
Mirnyi, the world Number one in doubles, said some successful early passing from Federer in the opener set the tone for the afternoon.
“It was a lot tougher being a follower than a leader in this match. I know exactly what he’s capable of. We have played a lot of doubles matches together,” said the Belarus Belter.
A French-speaking crowd honoured third seed Federer with a rendition of an unofficial Quebec anthem, the words changed to fit the occasion.
He was also presented with a racket-shaped chocolate cake on court by organisers.
Roddick mastered the complex style of Slovak Karol Kucera 7-6 (7-5). 6-3.
The Slovak, who generates little pace on his shots, still proved to be a challenge for Roddick, who had actress girlfriend Mandy Moore in the stands supporting him.
Results (x denotes seed):
Quarterfinals: Rainer Schuettler (GER x8) bt Andre Agassi (USA x1) 2-6, 6-2, 6-3; Roger Federer (SWI x3) bt Max Mirnyi (BLR) 6-2, 7-6 (7/3); Andy Roddick (USA x6) bt Karol Kucera (SVK) 7-6 (7/5), 6-3; David Nalbandian (ARG) bt Feliciano Lopez (SPA) 6-4, 6-4
CLIJSTERS MARCHES ON
LOS ANGELES: Top seed Kim Clijsters continued her march towards the world number one ranking when she trounced Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-3 6-1 in the quarterfinals of the of the JP Morgan Chase Open on Friday.
Clijsters will face 16th seed Francesca Schiavone of Italy in the semi-finals, after the Italian eased to a 6-2 6-3 win over Australia’s Nicole Pratt.
Should Clijster win this event, the 20-year-old Belgian will take over the top spot from the injured Serena Williams.
“I just want to focus on my next match because I’m not there yet,” Clijsters said. “Although, I’ll give it my best shot if I reach the final.”
If she does manage to win her next two matches, Clijsters will become the first player to attain the number one ranking without winning a grand slam title since the WTA Tour introduced the ranking system in 1975.
“You don’t know what it feels like if you don’t have (the ranking) yet, so it’s hard to say whether I would prefer this or a grand slam title,” said Clijsters, who has won five titles this year and has reached at least the semi-finals of all 16 tournaments she has played.
“I’ll take either.”
Clijsters’s doubles partner and fourth seed here Ai Sugiyama also advanced to the last four with a 6-4 4-6 6-2 win over sixth seed Magdalena Maleeva.
The Japanese player highlighted Clijsters’s all-round fitness and consistent play for the Belgian’s rise up the rankings.
“It would be better if she won a grand slam, but she still has a lot of chances to win one,” said Sugiyama, adding that the world number two was probably favourite to win the U.S. Open which starts later this month.
“Kim has stayed healthy, played great and if she becomes number one, she’ll deserve it.”
Clijsters played a far more clinical match than the 18-year-old Kuznetsova, who said she was worn out after three weeks of play.
“I just lost my concentration out there,” the Russian said. “The first set was close and I had my chances, but I couldn’t concentrate and then I didn’t keep fighting. She plays so consistently, which makes it hard to compete against her.”
Clijsters, who won the Bank of the West Classic two weeks ago and reached the final of the Acura Classic last week, said that Kuznetsova fed her like a ball machine.
“She hits with a lot of spin and the balls were sitting up properly for me,” Clijsters said.
“She was just rallying and not making me move much. I felt like I could dictate, go down the line, crosscourt and make her run.”
Sugiyama will play the winner of the night match between second seed Lindsay Davenport and number eight Amanda Coetzer.
Results:
Quarterfinals: Kim Clijsters (BEL x1) bt Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS) 6-3, 6-1; Ai Sugiyama (JPN x4) bt Magdalena Maleeva (BUL x6) 6-2, 4-6, 6-2; Francesca Shiavone (ITA x16) bt Nicole Pratt (AUS) 6-2, 6-3.—AFP/Reuters
