May 6, 2005	Friday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 26, 1426

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ROME, May 5: Andre Agassi booked his place in the quarterfinals of the Rome Masters on Thursday after defeating Ivan Ljubicic in the third round. Sixth seed Agassi won 7-6 (7/4), 6-3 to exact revenge on the hard-serving 12th seed who beat him in Croatia’s shock 3-2 victory over the United States in the first round of the Davis Cup in March. The defeat in Los Angeles marked the first time the USA have lost a first round match at home in the history of the Davis Cup and forced them into a World Group play-off against Belgium to stay in the elite group of 16.

Victory for Agassi here levelled his head-to-head record with the big-serving Ljubicic at 2-2 and set up a last eight meeting with Slovakian Dominik Hrbaty, who upset British fourth seed Tim Henman 6-3, 3-6, 6-3.

Agassi, a winner here in 2003, admitted he would have prefered to have beaten Ljubicic in the Davis Cup.

Ninth seed Guillermo Coria ended Italian interest by defeating veteran Davide Sanguinetti 6-0, 6-4.

Victory for the Argentinian took his clay record this year to 11-2 and set up a quarterfinal clash against either top seed Andy Roddick or Spain’s Fernando Verdasco.

Coria, who lost the final at Monte Carlo last month to in-form Spaniard Rafael Nadal, said he had to work hard in the second set to prevent a Sanguinetti comeback.

Spain’s Alberto Martin progressed with a 6-1, 6-3 win over Peruvian Luis Horna. He will play either third seed Gaudio or compatriot David Ferrer in the last eight.

Results (third round): Dominik Hrbaty (SVK) bt Tim Henman (GBR) 6-3, 3-6, 6-3; Andre Agassi (USA) bt Ivan Ljubicic (CRO) 7-6 (7/4), 6-3; Guillermo Coria (ARG) bt Davide Sanguinetti (ITA) 6-0, 6-4; Alberto Martin (ESP) bt Luis Horna (PER) 6-1, 6-3.

Clijsters retireS

BERRLIN: Former world number one Kim Clijsters retired from the German Open on Thursday after injuring her right leg in an awkward slide to the net during a third-round match against Switzerland’s Patty Schnyder.

Later at the Steffi Graf stadium top seeded 18-year-old Maria Sharapova, who will become world number one if she wins in Berlin, swept aside China’s Shuai Peng 6-2 6-1.

Clijsters failed to convert four match points before surrendering her match while leading 7-6 5-6.

The Belgian, who missed most of last season with a career-threatening wrist injury, said she was not sure exactly how the injury occurred but suspected it was the slide late in the second set, after which she had a sharp pain in her knee.

Clijsters added that she would have to wait several days for a scan to see if she had damaged any ligaments.

Sharapova, currently the world number two, will next face Belgium’s other ex-world number one, Justine Henin-Hardenne, in the quarter finals.

Henin-Hardenne struggled to beat Kveta Peschke of the Czech Republic 4-6 6-4 6-2. The resurgent Belgian who won in Warsaw on Sunday has had to play three sets in all of her matches.

Sharapova, who had a bye into the second round and has lost just seven games in the tournament so far, looked composed and confident on the court.

Second seed and defending champion Amelie Mauresmo made a shaky start against her French compatriot Virginie Razzano, losing her first two service games, but after trailing 4-1 she found her form to win the next 10 games in succession.

Razzano broke again as Mauresmo served for the match, only for the defending champion to break back and win 6-4 6-2.

Clijsters was treated courtside by the WTA trainer but, after failing to convert any of her match points, the four-time grand slam finalist who has leapt up the rankings from 133 last month to 17, ended her ordeal on the punishing red clay.

Former French Open winner Mary Pierce lost 6-2 7-5 to sixth seed Nadia Petrova and a third Russian also made progress when eighth seed Elena Bovina beat Meghann Shaughnessy of the United States 6-4 6-2.

Local favourite Julia Schruff of Germany, who played the match of her life on Wednesday when she knocked out third seed Anna Myskina of Russia, lost to 13th seed Jelena Jankovic of Serbia and Montenegro 6-3 6-2.

Results (third round): Maria Sharapova (Russia) bt Shuai Peng (China) 6-2 6-1; 7-Patty Schnyder (Switzerland) bt 11-Kim Clijsters (Belgium) 6-7(4) 6-5 (K. Clijsters retired); Elena Bovina (Russia) bat Meghann Shaughnessy (United States) 6-4 6-2; Jelena Jankovic (Serbia and Montenegro) bt Julia Schruff (Germany) 6-3 6-2; Nadia Petrova (Russia) bt Mary Pierce (France) 6-2 7-5.—Agencies