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| May 25, 2005 | Wednesday | Rabi-us-Sani 16, 1426 |
Agassi limps out of first round
PARIS, May 24: Hobbling in pain and blinking back tears, Andre Agassi left the French Open on Tuesday, his 35-year-old body unable to drive him through this most gruelling of grand slam tournaments.
While his spirit had been willing throughout, his body let him down when a nerve in his back became inflamed and he limped out of the first round 7-5 4-6 6-7 6-1 6-0 to Finn Jarkko Nieminen.
“You know, it’s bad. It’s something that needs to be addressed because I can’t be out there like that. I mean, I literally hurt,” the American said.
“It was getting worse by the minute... I mean, that’s not good, you know, to be out there and to not be able to play for four or five hours,” the American said. “Doesn’t leave you with high hopes.”
Agassi’s wife Steffi Graf called it quits after 16 trips to the French capital.
Agassi has now had 17 cracks at the title he won in 1999 and although he refuses to talk of retirement just yet there must be a question mark over his willingness to return for more punishment in 2006 after two consecutive first round defeats in the French capital.
Agassi’s 1999 victory made him only the fifth man to win all four grand slam titles at least once and cemented his reputation as a giant of the modern game.
But on Tuesday the sixth seed looked a forlorn and anguished figure with his Finnish opponent outrunning and outgunning him.
Agassi was not the only seasoned campaigner to learn that experience was no match for youth on Paris clay.
In the women’s draw Conchita Martinez was felled 6-0 4-6 6-4 by Justine Henin-Hardenne in the first round.
Nobody betters Martinez’s 18 successive French Open appearances — a record she shares with the retired Nathalie Tauziat — but it takes more than experience and an almost matchless knowledge of claycourt tactics to beat 2003 champion Henin-Hardenne.
Maria Sharapova was given a wake-up call before dispensing with the glamour and employing her Russian grit to beat compatriot Evgenia Linetskaya.
The Wimbledon champion and world number two was stretched to the limit by her game opponent but, shrieking with effort and frustration throughout, clawed her way to a 6-7 6-2 6-4 victory.
Amelie Mauresmo began her 11th attempt to win her home grand slam with a 6-2 6-1 win over Australian Evie Dominikovic.
The darling of the French crowds is desperate to succeed in Paris and she underlined her intentions with an authoritative 53-minute display against her 111th ranked opponent.
Marat Safin showed backbone, easing into the second round with a 6-1 4-6 6-4 6-2 win over Dutchman Raemon Sluiter.
The Australian Open champion is bidding to become the first man since Jim Courier 13 years ago to win the first two grand slam tournaments of the year.
Safin is on track for a third-round clash with former champion and fellow former world number one Juan Carlos Ferrero who beat Karol Beck of Slovakia 6-4 6-3 6-3.
Tuesday’s results:
Men’s singles: Flavio Saretta (Brazil) bt Greg Rusedski (Britain) 6-2 7-6(7) 6-3; Guillermo Canas (Argentina) bt Gael Monfils (France) 6-3 6-1 6-0; Jose Acasuso (Argentina) bt Max Mirnyi (Belarus) 6-4 7-6(9) 6-2; Arnaud Clement (France) bt Alexander Popp (Germany) 6-2 6-4 6-7(1) 6-2; Tommy Haas (Germany) bt Florian Mayer (Germany) 6-1 6-2 6-4; James Blake (United States) bt Tomas Tenconi (Italy) 6-2 6-4 7-6(8); Stanislas Wawrinka (Switzerland) bt Nicolas Massu (Chile) 6-7(4) 6-2 6-2 6-4; Jarkko Nieminen (Finland) bt Andre Agassi (United States) 7-5 4-6 6-7(6) 6-1 6-0; Olivier Rochus (Belgium) bt Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (Spain) 7-6(4) 7-5 4-6 6-3; Hyung-Taik Lee (South Korea) bt Alex Calatrava (Spain) 6-4 2-6 5-7 7-6(4) 6-4; Mariano Puerta (Argentina) bt 13-Ivan Ljubicic (Croatia) 7-5 7-5 6-2; Nicolas Kiefer (Germany) bt Ivo Karlovic (Croatia) 6-3 6-3 6-4; Paul-Henri Mathieu (France) bt Feliciano Lopez (Spain) 6-2 6-0 6-7(5) 6-4; Tommy Robredo (Spain) bt Peter Luczak (Australia) 4-6 6-3 6-3 6-3; Mikhail Youzhny (Russia) bt Gilles Muller (Luxembourg) 6-4 6-1 6-0; Juergen Melzer (Austria) bt Wayne Arthurs (Australia) 6-4 6-2 7-6(4; Jan Hernych (Czech Republic) bt Fabrice Santoro (France) 7-6(4) 3-6 6-1 4-6 6-4; Igor Andreev (Russia) bt Jonas Bjoerkman (Sweden) 2-6 6-2 6-2 7-5; Marat Safin (Russia) bt Raemon Sluiter (Netherlands) 6-1 4-6 6-4 6-2; Juan Carlos Ferrero (Spain) bt Karol Beck (Slovakia) 6-4 6-3 6-3; Kristof Vliegen (Belgium) bt Antony Dupuis (France) 6-4 6-1 6-2; Lukas Dlouhy (Czech Republic) bt Thomas Enqvist (Sweden) 6-2 7-6(3) 6-1; Dick Norman (Belgium) bt Jean-Rene Lisnard (France) 6-1 6-1 6-4; Nikolay Davydenko (Russia) beat Sasa Tuksar (Croatia) 6-2 6-4 6-3
Women’s singles: Nicole Vaidisova (Czech Republic) bt Lucie Safarova (Czech Republic) 4-6 6-0 6-4; Virginia Ruano Pascual (Spain) bt Anastasiya Yakimova (Belarus) 6-4 7-6(7); Anna Smashnova (Israel) btJelena Jankovic (Serbia and Montenegro) 6-0 6-3; Francesca Schiavone (Italy) bt Jie Zheng (China) 6-3 3-6 6-4; Aravane Rezai (France) bt Camille Pin (France) 2-6 6-2 6-2; Nathalie Dechy (France) bt Michaela Pastikova (Czech Republic) 6-1 6-4; Ana Ivanovic (Serbia and Montenegro) bt Stephanie Foretz (France) 6-3 6-3; Amelie Mauresmo (France) bt Evie Dominikovic (Australia) 6-2 6-1; Nadia Petrova (Russia) bt Mashona Washington (United States) 6-4 6-2; Maria Sharapova (Russia) bt Evgenia Linetskaya (Russia) 6-7(3) 6-2 6-4; Iveta Benesova (Czech Republic) bt Pauline Parmentier (France) 7-5 6-; Anabel Medina Garrigues (Spain) bt Petra Mandula (Hungary) 6-0 6-1; Marissa Irvin (United States) bt Nicole Pratt (Australia) 5-7 6-4 8-6; Tathiana Garbin (Italy) bt Martina Sucha (Slovakia) 6-7(8) 6-1 6-2; Samantha Stosur (Australia) bt Silvija Talaja (Croatia) 6-1 6-2; Kristina Brandi (Puerto Rico) bt Youlia Fedossova (France) 1-6 6-3 6-2; Gisela Dulko (Argentina) bt Sania Mirza (India) 6-3 6-; Justine Henin-Hardenne (Belgium) bt Conchita Martinez (Spain) 6-0 4-6 6-4; Nuria Llagostera Vives (Spain) bt Ai Sugiyama (Japan) 6-3 4-6 6-4; Magdalena Maleeva (Bulgaria) bt Rika Fujiwara (Japan) 6-4 6-2; Elena Bovina (Russia) bt Maria Vento-Kabchi (Venezuela) 6-0 6-3; Severine Beltrame (France) bt Abigail Spears (United States) 6-3 6-1; Klara Koukalova (Czech Republic) bt Mervana Jugic-Salkic (Bosnia & Herzegovina) 6-3 4-6 6-3; Anna Chakvetadze (Russia) bt Paola Suarez (Argentina) 7-5 1-6 6-0; Sofia Arvidsson (Sweden) bt Eleni Daniilidou (Greece) 6-1 7-6(1) Svetlana Kuznetsova (Russia) bt Mathilde Johansson (France) 6-1 6-1.—Reuters
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