PARIS -- Andre Agassi's day was already off to an annoying start when several young spectators shrieked throughout a rally he lost with a missed backhand.
|  | | Franco Squillari's blistering groundstrokes challenged Andre Agassi, but the third-seeded American wore Squillari down over five sets. |
Agassi glared toward the noisy section in the upper deck, where some fans were oblivious to tennis etiquette and overcome with joie de vivre.
"Come on!" he shouted. "Shut up!"
The kids did, aside from perhaps joining the cheers for Agassi
as he beat Franco Squillari 4-6, 6-2, 6-4, 1-6, 6-0 in the fourth
round at the French Open.
In the midst of a typically grueling clay-court duel, Agassi could be forgiven his uncharacteristic outburst. For three hours, both players wore tracks behind the baseline. But because Agassi is in the best shape of his life at 31, he found a higher gear in the final set just as his 25-year-old opponent faded.
That made the victory encouraging for the third-seeded Agassi, seeking his second consecutive Grand Slam title. He won the Australian Open in January and believes he's finding his footing on clay at just the right time.
"I feel like I'm dancing out there, and it's nice," he said. "For me, this was an opportunity to bring out my game and step it up. I've got to really let my game fly to have a chance, and today I had to."
Agassi remains favored to reach his fourth French final. In
Wednesday's quarterfinals he'll play No. 10 Frenchman Sebastien
Grosjean, who advanced by beating Galo Blanco 6-3, 6-4, 6-1.
Swiss 19-year-old Roger Federer, touted as a potential Grand
Slam champion, earned his first quarterfinal berth at a major event
by beating Wayne Arthurs 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2. Federer's opponent
Wednesday will be No. 13 Alex Corretja, who eliminated France's
Fabrice Santoro 6-2, 6-3, 6-4.
No. 6 Lleyton Hewitt completed a 3-6, 6-7 (3), 6-2, 6-3, 6-3
comeback victory over Guillermo Canas that took 4 hours, 12 minutes
over two days. The final three games were played Monday after
darkness forced the match to be suspended Sunday.
"It's like a 100-meter sprint to the finish," Hewitt said.
"That's a tough situation."
Hewitt plays No. 4 Juan Carlos Ferrero on Tuesday, and No. 1
Gustavo Kuerten faces No. 7 Yevgeny Kafelnikov. That foursome will
provide one finalist, with Agassi in the other half of the draw.
All four women's quarterfinals are Tuesday, highlighted by an
all-American showdown between No. 4 Jennifer Capriati and No. 6
Serena Williams.
Monday's sunny, mild weather was the best of the tournament, but
Agassi got off to a dismal start. In the opening game he failed to
convert seven break-point chances, and midway through the second
set he was 1-for-14.
Squillari, a left-hander who scrambles trying to hit his
powerful forehand on every shot, did more running than Agassi but
also belted more winners. The 16th-seeded Argentine was at his best
in the fourth set, slamming aces on the final three points to even
the match.
"He played some incredible tennis and left me rather
concerned," said Agassi, who didn't let it show.
"His strength is mental," Squillari said. "He always feels he's going to win, and that's the impression he gives -- that he's never going to crumble. Even after the fourth set, which I won easily, he wasn't fazed."
Agassi hasn't always been that way. On the same center court 13
years ago, he played a semifinal against Mats Wilander that was
also decided by a 6-0 fifth set. Agassi lost.
"That day I had four break points in the first game of the
fifth set," he recalled. "I spent everything I had. I was dead. I
was starting to cramp. I had no more energy left.
"I knew 5-11, 145 pounds wasn't going to win a Slam. That match taught me I really needed to get stronger."
Now he's a muscular 170 pounds. Stamina has helped him win four of the past eight Grand Slam titles, dating to the 1999 French Open, and it helped him beat Squillari.
Agassi slammed three big serves to win the opening game of the
final set. Then Squillari made a rare trip to the net, and Agassi
put so much sizzle on his passing shot that his opponent whiffed.
That sent Squillari into full retreat, and he stood frozen 12 feet
behind the baseline when Agassi angled a forehand winner on break
point for a 2-0 lead.
The weary Argentine hung his head, and even those oblivious
youngsters in the upper deck knew the match was over. Agassi made
it official four games later, then threw a roundhouse punch at the
air to celebrate his latest knockout.
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