World number one Andre Agassi pumped up his confidence ahead of the French Open by thrashing Argentine qualifier Gaston Gaudio 6-1 6-4 in yesterday's second round of the Rome Master Series.
In stark contrast, world number two and 1996 French Open champion Yevgeny Kafelnikov continued his disastrous form on clay by losing 6-4 6-4 to another Argentine, Mariano Puerta. Kafelnikov, an Australian Open finalist in January, has lost form completely since the tour moved on to red clay, and he appeared weary.
For Agassi, however, playing in his first tournament since sustaining a hamstring injury in Atlanta last month, there are few clouds on the horizon. "In the big picture, it feels good to know that when I step on court I can win. I played well today. To play like this in my second match here was more than I was expecting."
Eighth seeded Briton Tim Henman fought hard but lost to Frenchman Fabrice Santoro 7-6 4-6 6-4, while Ecuador's sixth seed Nicolas Lapentti bowed to Spain's Francisco Clavet 7-5 6-4.
In the women's German Open, Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario, finalist in last week's Hamburg Cup, lost 6-4 5-7 62 to Russian Elena Dementieva in her second round match on a bad day for the seeds. Anna Kournikova, seeded seventh, fell 6-4 4-6 64 to Spain's Gala Leon Garcia.
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