Agassi Lands Well Despite a Little Slip

Folks have been a little jittery around the Mercedes-Benz Cup, considering the rash of bad luck to strike this tennis tournament on almost a daily basis.

So it was understandable a moment of concern flickered when top-seeded Andre Agassi slipped and tumbled to the court near the net in the fourth game of the third set. It was almost as if stretchers would materialize next, the way they do when a soccer player goes down on the field.

Not to worry.

“I didn’t hit very hard, believe it or not,” said Agassi. “I was just a little embarrassed, which I’m getting more and more used to out there.”

Embarrassment didn’t prevent him from reaching the semifinals. Agassi faced his sternest test yet, dropping a set for the first time in three matches at this year’s event before beating Paradorn Srichaphan of Thailand, 6-2, 4-6, 6-4, Friday in the quarterfinals at UCLA’s Los Angeles Tennis Center.

Agassi had been off the tour since losing in the first round of the French Open in May because of a sciatic nerve problem. And his lack of match play showed in the second set as he squandered a service break and double-faulted to lose the second set. He secured the pivotal service break at 1-1 in the third set.

“Maybe if he didn’t take that long time off, I probably may be losing easier,” Srichaphan said.

Of Agassi’s three opponents at UCLA, Srichaphan is the first ranked in the top 50, at No. 44. His assessment of Agassi’s current level?

“It’s tough when you have a long break,” Srichaphan said. “He is still playing well, no question about it, but not really his best, like before. Still his game is still beating a lot of players.”

In today’s semifinals, Agassi will play Juan Ignacio Chela of Argentina at 3 p.m. Chela defeated Xavier Malisse of Belgium, 6-4, 7-6 (3), in another quarterfinal. Malisse had eliminated defending champion Tommy Haas of Germany in the previous round.

Agassi and Chela will meet for the third time. Agassi won their two previous matches, both on a hard-court surface. This is Chela’s third semifinal of the year.

Today’s other semifinal, at 8 p.m., will feature second-seeded Dominik Hrbaty of Slovakia against Gilles Muller of Luxembourg, who defeated Robby Ginepri, 7-6 (5), 7-5.

Hrbaty’s journey to the final four was rather unusual. He saved not one, not two, but seven match points in the second set of his semifinal against Ricardo Mello of Brazil, winning, 4-6, 7-6 (9), 6-2, in 2 hours 15 minutes.

Mello led the tiebreaker, 6-1, and Hrbaty won the next five points.

“When I went back to 6-6, I believe I can win this match,” Hrbaty said.

The tiebreaker went 20 points, and a deflated Mello went away quickly in the third, losing the last set in about half an hour.

“I don’t think I ever lost a match when I was serving and I had a match point,” Hrbaty said. “I know how it is to lose from match point. It is not easy for anybody. Not for me. And it’s not going to be easy for him.”

Ginepri, who carried a seven-match winning streak into the Muller match, started slowly, trailing 1-4.

He pushed the first set into a tiebreaker, saved two set points but lost it in the third.

They stayed on serve until 5-5 in the second set, when Ginepri double-faulted to give Muller the set’s only service break.

Ginepri said he was bothered by sore feet but still thought he would be able to play next week’s tournament at Washington.