Agassi, Gambill into Sybase Open semis

Agassi, Gambill into Sybase Open semis

SAN JOSE, California (Agencies): Australian Open champion Andre Agassi remained unbeaten in 2001 and swept into the semifinals at the Sybase Open on Friday with a 6-1, 6-3, victory over Sargis Sargsian of Armenia.

Agassi routed his friend and occasional training partner to improve to 10-0 this season. He will play sixth-seeded countryman Jan-Michael Gambill in Saturday's semifinals.

"We've had a lot of matches together and we practice a lot together," said Agassi, who raised his lifetime record against Sargsian to 4-0. "When you know each other's game, you know what you're going to do."

He won this event in 1990, 1993, 1995 and 1998.

Gambill rolled over Spain's Juan Balcells, 6-2, 6-0, to reach his first semifinals of the season. He served 14 aces against Balcells and will try to continue his strong serving against Agassi on Saturday.

Second seed Lleyton Hewitt of Australia, who needed three sets to win his second-round match on Thursday, was upended by eighth seed and 1997 finalist Greg Rusedski of Britain, 5-7, 6-1, 6-4.

Rusedski's foe Saturday will be Belgian qualifier Xavier Malisse, who got past fourth seed Tommy Haas of Germany, 5-7, 6- 3, 5-1. Haas dived for a ball in the fifth game of the third set and was forced to retire with a right hip contusion.

In Dubai, Marat Safin lined up a Dubai championships final against Spain's Juan Carlos Ferrero on Saturday -- despite the Russian suffering a back injury.

The top seed edged to a 6-7, 7-6, 6-3 victory over Thomas Johansson in Friday's semifinal, but suffered a back muscle injury in the fifth game of the final set which left his effectiveness in the final in doubt.

He was lucky to survive the match, as his game lacked consistency and Johansson was unable to take advantage of Safin's discomfort.

"I have to check with the physio but my back is not good and I won't be 100 per cent tomorrow," said Safin.

"I cannot serve fast and I cannot make fast movements. On the baseline more or less I can play."

Safin was surprised that Johansson did not try to exploit his inability to move. Instead, the Swede lapsed into a succession of errors and virtually handed Safin the match when he netted a backhand volley to lose his serve at 4-3.

"I'm sorry for the delay, because afterwards Thomas couldn't put the ball in court because of his lack of concentration," said Safin.

In Acapulco, Mexico, top-ranked Gustavo Kuerten outlasted fellow Brazilian Fernando Melingeni 6-7 (3-7), 6-3, 3-2 (ret) in a hard-fought match Friday to advance to the semifinals of the Mexican Open, which was forced by rain to postpone some matches.

In other action, Spain's Carlos Moya, the number three seed, came back from one set down to defeat fellow countryman Sergi Bruguera 1-6, 7-5, 6-4.

In a matchup of two Argentines, Guillermo Canas defeated fourth-ranked Gaston Gaudio 6-4, 6-4, and will meet Kuerten in the semifinals on Saturday.

Spaniard Galo Blanco defeated Norway's Christian Ruud 6-4, 6- 4, sending him to the semifinals to face the winner of Friday night's late game between two Spaniards, third-ranked Carlos Moya and Sergi Bruguera.

The semifinals of women's singles were delayed until Saturday - and the final until Sunday - by a rare downpour in Acapulco's dry season. Tour organizers said it hadn't rained in Acapulco in February for 35 years.

On Saturday, South Africa's top-ranked Amanda Coetzer will face Argentina's fourth-ranked Paola Suarez and Spain's Nuria Llagostera will face Russia's second-ranked Elena Dementieva.

In Scottsdale, Arizona, the final of the State Farm Women's Tennis Classic will be an all-American affair. Monica Seles saw to that.

Seles, the last of four U.S. players to take centercourt for a quarterfinals match Friday, beat Magui Serna 6-4, 6-3 to join top-seeded Lindsay Davenport, third seed Jennifer Capriati and eighth seed Meghann Shaughnessy in the semifinals of the US$565,000 event.

The second-ranked player in the world, Davenport started slowly when defeating seventh seed Lisa Raymond 1-6, 6-0, 6-3 and Capriati, the third seed, breezed past Tina Pisnik 6-1, 6-2.

Shaughnessy reached her second semifinal of the year with a 6- 2, 6-4 victory over fifth-seeded Kim Clijsters. She will face Seles, who beat her in Palo Alto, California, last summer.