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ROME, May 6: Andre Agassi kept his French Open preparations on course by beating Nicolas Kiefer 6-3, 6-2 in the first round of the Rome Masters Series event Monday.
Agassi, playing his first match since losing to Pete Sampras in the Houston semifinals last month, never allowed the dangerous German to trouble him.
After a dominant first set, Agassi maintained his focus in the early stages of the second set before a decisive break of serve for a 4-2 lead saw Kiefer’s confidence crumble.
Russia’s Marat Safin and France’s Sebastien Grosjean also made strong starts by scoring decisive wins in the first round of the second clay court Masters Series event of the season.
Safin, who is seeded sixth, demolished Spain’s Alberto Martin 6-2, 6-2 while Grosjean, seeded 10th, wasted little time in disposing of Morocco’s Hicham Arazi 6-4, 6-0.
Safin’s win might have been even more emphatic had he converted the two match points he held in the second set at 5-1 up, but he suppressed his frustration to hold serve to love in the next game and earn a second round clash against Belgium’s Xavier Malisse.
Safin said he was feeling full of confidence and had set his sights on a good run during the European clay court season, including the French Open, which begins in three weeks.
“I think in Rome or Hamburg I have to do something special to be prepared but I think I have a good chance there,” said Safin. “I think I can play with all the top guys.
“I’m still number six in the world and I’m going up and up. I’m full of confidence and I’m going to be very dangerous on clay, very dangerous.”
Monday’s results (prefix number denotes seeding):
First round: Carlos Moya (Spain) beat Bohdan Ulihrach (Czech Republic) 6-3, 3-6, 6-1; Markus Hipfl (Austria) beat 15-Guillermo Canas (Argentina) 6-4, 6-4; Stefano Galvani (Italy) beat Greg Rusedski (Britain) 4-6, 7-6 (7-1), 6-2; 9-Andre Agassi (US) beat Nicolas Kiefer (Germany) 6-3, 6-2; David Nalbandian (Argentina) beat Albert Portas (Spain) 6-3, 5-7, 6-3; Xavier Malisse (Belgium) beat Jose Acasuso (Argentina) 6-1, 6-4; 10-Sebastien Grosjean (France) beat Hicham Arazi (Morocco) 6-4, 6-0; 6-Marat Safin (Russia) beat Alberto Martin (Spain) 6-2, 6-2; 14-Jiri Novak (Czech Republic) beat Sjeng Schalken (Netherlands) 6-4, 6-4.
BERLIN: A change of nationality has brought a change of luck for Anca Barna, a German wildcard who forced her way into the second round of the women’s German Open Monday with a 4-6, 6-2, 7-6 (12-10) win over Italian Rita Grande.
Left-hander Barna, who turns 25 in a week’s time, has fought her way into the top 80 in the world with her run to the Estoril final last month.
Although she was born in Cluj, Romania, German tennis fans are keen to claim her as one of her own amid the drought which has followed the retirement of icon Steffi Graf.
Barna took German nationality three years ago, having spent a decade living in the southern town of Nuremberg and says the decision to trade in her old passport has paid dividends.
Barna, however, will have to get past tenth seed Silvia Farina Elia of Italy if she wants to tackle defending champion Amelie Mauresmo in the third round.
Monday’s results:
First round: Elena Likhovtseva (Russia) beat Tatiana Panova (Russia) 7-5, 3-6, 7-6 (7-3); Cristina Torrens-Valero (Spain) beat Anne Kremer (Luxembourg) 6-7 (5-7), 6-3, 6-2; Anastasia Myskina (Russia) beat Martina Sucha (Slovakia) 6-2, 7-5; Marie-Gaiane Mikaelian (Switzerland) beat Marlene Weingartner (Germany) 6-3, 1-2 — retired; Anca Barna (Germany) beat Rita Grande (Italy) 4-6, 6-2, 7-6 (12-10); Meilen Tu (US) beat Adriana Serra-Zanetti (Italy) 6-3, 6-2; Anna Smashnova (Israel) beat Angeles Montolio (Spain) 6-1, 6-3
BOL (Croatia): Sweden’s Asa Svensson won her second WTA tour title with a tough three-set victory over Croatia’s Iva Majoli in the Bol Open Sunday.
The unseeded Svensson took one hour and 49 minutes to grind out a 6-3, 4-6, 6-1 win over the fourth-seeded Croat.
It was Svensson’s second career victory. She won her first title in Kuala Lumpur in 1999 — the last time she was in a final.—Reuters/AFP
