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| March 15, 2006 | Wednesday | Safar 14, 1427 |
Another early exit for Agassi
INDIAN WELLS (California), March 14: A baffled Andre Agassi was bundled out of the 5.27 million-dollar Pacific Life Open 7-5, 6-2 on Monday by Germany’s Tommy Haas.
Despite his status as the Masters Series event’s eighth seed, Agassi clearly had his work cut out for him against Haas, who has already won titles this year in Delray Beach and Memphis and reached the semi-finals in Doha.
Two of the 27-year-old German’s three defeats this year have come to world number one Roger Federer, including a fourth-round loss in the Australian Open.
Agassi, in contrast, was playing in just his third tournament of the year after being sidelined by injury late in 2005.
Still, it was unlike the 35-year-old veteran to squander two set points on his own serve in the opening set, which he led 5-4 and 40-15 before Haas roared back.
Despite his lack of tournament play, Agassi acknowledged that he had hoped for more here, where after a first-round bye he needed three sets to beat 63rd-ranked Paul Goldstein.
Haas booked a meeting with American James Blake, who beat Spain’s Tommy Robredo 6-2, 7-5.
Third-seeded Andy Roddick, another American who has been trying to turn around an indifferent early season, maintained his momentum with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Spain’s Fernando Verdasco.
Roddick, who powered through a rain-delayed second-round match against Jose Acasuso on Sunday night, was delighted to back up that victory with another solid display.
Fourth-seeded Argentinian David Nalbandian also reached the round of 16, beating French qualifier Julien Benneteau 6-4, 6-1.
Two time Indian Wells champion Lleyton Hewitt launched his campaign with a scrambling 7-6 (7/3), 2-6, 6-4 second-round victory over Germany’s Rainer Schuettler.
Despite his title drought, and a disappointing second-round exit at the Australian Open left him nursing a sore ankle, Hewitt has been knocking on the door in recent weeks, reaching finals in San Jose in February and Las Vegas last week.
On the women’s side, top seed Justine Henin-Hardenne of Belgium crushed Japan’s Aiko Nakamura 6-0, 6-0.
Belgium’s Henin-Hardenne, who won the title in her last appearance at Indian Wells in 2004, needed just 55 minutes to dispatch 66th-ranked Nakamura, who was making her first appearance in the California desert.
Fourth-seeded Russian Elena Dementieva also reached the round of 16, defying an upset bid by tenacious Indian teenager Sania Mirza.
Dementieva let early leads slip in all three set before emerging with a 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 victory over the feisty Mirza, who made the most of Dementieva’s characteristically inconsistent serve.
Results
Men (second round)
Lleyton Hewitt bt Rainer Schuettler 7-6 (7/3), 2-6, 6-4; Sebastien Grosjean bt Kristof Vliegen 6-1, 6-3; Xavier Malisse bt Radek Stepanek 6-1, 6-1; Mario Ancic bt Davide Sanguinetti 6-3, 7-6 (7/3); Paul-Henri Mathieu bt Nicolas Kiefer 7-6 (7/5), 4-6, 6-2; Tomas Berdych bt Tim Henman 6-4, 6-4
Third round
David Nalbandian bt Julien Benneteau 6-4, 6-1; Igor Andreev bt Robin Soderling 4-6, 7-6 (16/14) 6-4; Jarkko Nieminen bt Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-1, 3-6, 6-3; Andy Roddick bt Fernando Verdasco 6-3, 6-4; Tommy Haas bt Andre Agassi 7-5, 6-2; Marat Safin bt Nikolay Davydenko 7-6 (7/5), 3-6, 6-4; Paradorn Srichiphan bt Juan Carlos Ferrero 6-2, 6-2
Women (third round)
Anna-Lena Groenefeld bt Anna Smashnova 2-6, 6-1, 6-2; Maret Ani bt Marion Bartoli 7-6 (7/4), 6-2; Gisela Dulko bt Tatiana Golovin 1-6, 7-5, 7-6 (8/6); Ai Sugiyama bt Lucie Safarova 6-3, 7-5; Li Na bt Vania King 6-3, 6-4; Emma Laine bt Flavia Pennetta 1-0, ret; Justine Henin-Hardenne bt Aiko Nakamura 6-0, 6-0; Elena Dementieva bt Sania Mirza 5-7, 6-4, 6-4; Anna Chakvetadz bt Maria Kirilenko 6-2, 6-3; Ana Ivanovic bt Shenay Perry 6-1, 6-3.—AFP
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