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.