Defending champion and fourth seed Andre Agassi crashed out of the opening round of the Indian Wells Masters today, falling 7-6 7-6 to Switzerland's Michel Kratochvil.
Agassi arrived in Indian Wells riding the momentum from claiming his 50th career title on Sunday in Scottsdale but the 31-year-old American soon looked weary on another scorching day in the Palm Desert.
In contrast, a determined Kratochvil, who had not advanced beyond the first round in his previous three events and is nine years Agassi's junior, chased down every shot.
It was only the second loss of the season for Agassi, after an aborted start to the campaign pulling out of the Australian Open with a wrist injury. Agassi has only lost six sets this season, all in tiebreaks.
