Agassi meets Rusedski in title showdown

Agassi meets Rusedski in title showdown
Agencies

San Jose (California), March 4 : Australian Open champion Andre Agassi remained unbeaten this season, breezing past fellow American Jan-Michael Gambill last night and into the final of the Sybase Open. The top-seeded Agassi eliminated the sixth-seeded Gambill 6-4, 6-4 to improve to 11-0 this season and set up a meeting with Britain’s Greg Rusedski.

Earlier, the eighth-seeded Rusedski advanced to his first ATP final in two years, defeating Belgian qualifier Xavier Malisse, 6-4, 6-2. Seeking his fifth title in San Jose, Agassi improved to 35-4 at this event.

The 30-year-old had to withdraw last year due to a back injury but reached the quarter-finals in eight of his previous nine appearances. He won this event in 1990, 1993, 1995 and 1998.

Gambill defeated Juan Balcells of Spain on Friday to reach his first semi-final of the season. He came into this match as the best server in the tournament but was turned aside and fell to 2-5 lifetime against Agassi. That does not bode well for Rusedski, another player who relies heavily on his powerful serve. Rusedski got the only break of the first set in seventh game and served out the set in the 10th.

Capriati, Seles crash out
Scottsdale (Arizona): Top-seeded Lindsay Davenport exacted some revenge against fellow American Jennifer Capriati last night in the semi-finals of the WTA Tour State Farm Tennis Classic. In their first meeting since the semi-finals of the Australian Open in January, Davenport outlasted the third-seeded Capriati 6-4, 6-7 (2/7), 6-1 to advance to the final which will be played later today.

Capriati upset Davenport in straight sets in Australia en route to her first Grand Slam title. The other all-American semi-final produced a huge upset earlier as eighth seed Meghann Shaughnessy stunned second seed Monica Seles 3-6, 7-6 (7/5), 6-2 to reach her second career final.

Seeking her second straight title, Davenport improved to 14-2 this season. She won the Pan Pacific Open last month by defeating Martina Hingis and also reached the final at Sydney earlier this year.

Kuerten takes on Blanco in final
ACAPULCO (Mexico): Top-ranked Gustavo Kuerten and wild card Galo Blanco advanced to the final of the Mexican Open, as did the top two female seeds, 10th-ranked Elena Dementieva and 11th-ranked Amanda Coetzer. Blanco upset third-seeded Carlos Moya yesterday in an emotional duel of strength and endurance between the two Spaniards. Blanco came out on top 6-4, 6-7 (7-3), 6-4.

Ferrero triumphs at Dubai Open
DUBAI: Juan Carlos Ferrero of Spain won the $1 million Dubai Open when a back injury forced top-seeded Marat Safin of Russia to retire in the second set. Ferrero was leading 6-2, 3-1, when Safin, who injured his back in Friday’s semi-final victory over Thomas Johansson of Sweden, retired yesterday.

Safin, who is striving to win back the world No. 1 ranking, still leaves with $88,000 for his efforts. Ferrero takes home $ 67,000 and a silver trophy. Ferrero, last year’s losing finalist, played some superb tennis throughout the tournament especially against Dominic Hrbaty of Slovakia in Friday’s semi-final, where he saved three match points.

Becker plans to play in Seniors
BERLIN: Boris Becker plans to play four tournaments on the seniors Champions Tour this year, German Sunday newspaper Welt am Sonntag reported. The three-time Wimbledon champion wants to play in the tournaments but is also interested in marketing them through his companies, Boris Becker Marketing (BBM) and Boris Becker International (BMI), Welt am Sonntag wrote in a report made available ahead of publication.

The former world number one, now 33, has become involved in sports business since retiring from competitive tennis after playing Wimbledon for the last time in 1999. Welt am Sonntag did not name the tournaments he would enter.