PARIS -- Andre Agassi's bid for a second straight Grand Slam
title ended Wednesday when he was beaten in four sets by Sebastien
Grosjean in the quarterfinals at the French Open.
|  | | France's Sebastien Grosjean acknowledges the crowd after defeating Andre Agassi 1-6, 6-1, 6-1,
6-3 in their quarterfinal match Wednesday.
|
The 10th-seeded Grosjean won 1-6, 6-1, 6-1, 6-3, delighting a
home crowd at Roland Garros that included former President Clinton.
Agassi, who captured the Australian Open in January, was bidding
for his second French Open title and his eighth Grand Slam
championship.
"It's pretty disappointing at the moment," said an unusually
curt Agassi. "I played well; he played a lot better."
After surging through the first set Agassi was unable to counter
Grosjean's inspired play.
"He played real well," Agassi said. "He was hitting winners with his
forehand. He wasn't missing his backhand. I played real good,
just not good enough."
The Frenchman closed the match with an
ace, then leaned back and raised his arms in triumph.
"He made some mistakes, so I went on, and tried to finish him
off in four sets," Grosjean said.
He will face Alex Corretja in the semifinals. The Spaniard
earlier defeated Swiss teenager Roger Federer in straight sets. Top seed Gustavo Kuerten plays No. 4 Juan Carlos Ferrero in the
other semifinal.
A somber Agassi said he hadn't even noticed Clinton. The former
president entered to loud cheers and sat in the front row on
Agassi's side of the court. He arrived at the end of the first set,
just as Agassi's game began to unravel.
Grosjean, however, was very much aware of the courtside guest.
"But I kept my game and didn't focus on Bill Clinton," he
said.
Agassi rolled to a 6-1 victory in the first set, and it looked
as if this match would be quick work. But Grosjean found new
strength in the second set, keeping his shots within the lines
while Agassi sprayed one bad ball after another.
Grosjean broke for a 2-0 lead, then broke again for 5-1. Agassi
netted a forehand to drop the set at 6-1.
In the third set, Grosjean continued his flawless shotmaking,
breaking in the first game with an unreachable lob. He held for
2-0, closing with an ace. He then broke again for 3-0. Agassi
managed to hold for 4-1, but it was the last game he would win in
the set. Down 1-5, he double faulted to go down two sets to one.
Agassi tried to kick into gear in the fourth, breaking Grosjean
and then holding for a 2-0 lead. He had two break points in the
third game, but failed to convert and lost the game when his
backhand sailed wide.
With a disappointed Clinton looking on, Grosjean broke for 2-2.
Agassi had another break point in the next game but Grosjean saved
it with a brilliant forehand drop volley.
At 3-4, Agassi was again broken. With Grosjean serving for the
match in the next game, Agassi netted a forehand to set up match
point.
Corretja, the 1998 runner-up, drew on his experience and
consistency to win his quarterfinal 7-5, 6-4, 7-5 on a chilly day.
"I don't know why I didn't take this opportunity today,"
Federer said. "I really had many break points, and it was not my
day."
The 13th-seeded Corretja broke for a 4-3 lead in the first set.
But Federer broke back at love to tie the Spaniard 4-4. At 5-5,
Federer, suddenly beset by unforced errors, lost his serve and
threw his racket on the ground. Corretja held to take the set.
In the second set, both players had trouble holding serve.
Federer scored an early break for 2-0, but Corretja broke back and
then held for 2-2, then broke again for 3-2. After another exchange
of service breaks, Corretja took the set at 6-4.
In the final set, Corretja was serving for the match at 5-4
against a rejuvenated Federer, who broke him for 5-5. After
breaking back for 6-5, Corretja blew three match points before
sending a backhand down the line on his fourth, yelling, "Vamos!"
Asked about his display of emotion, Corretja said, "If I don't
do this when I reach the semifinals of a Grand Slam, when do I do
it?" Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories |
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AUDIO/VIDEO
 Andre Agassi played well, but Sebastien Grosjean was better on this day.
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