Agassi home amp; dry before wet spell

The match was interrupted for over an hour by rain, the first major rain delay of the tournament after a virtually dry first week.

It wasn8217;t until the third game of the third set that Arthurs finally dropped serve. On break point, Agassi ripped a backhand return that kissed the sideline for a clean winner. He pumped his fist and shouted, C8217;mon.8221;

8220;I started to draw a beat on his serve early in the third set,8221; Agassi said. 8220;And he was starting to feel a little bit of my presence on the return.8221;

Agassi will next face Brazil8217;s Gustavo Kuerten, the former French Open champ who beat Swiss qualifier Lorenzo Manta 7-5, 6-4,5-7, 6-3.

Play began today under cloudy skies, a strong breeze and temperatures around 68 f 19 c. The opening centre court match between Britain8217;s Tim Henman and American Jim Courier was interrupted by a downpour late in the day. Henman, seeking to avenge a loss to Courier in the Davis Cup, was up two sets to one 8212; 4-6, 7-5, 7-5, 4-3.

Seven-time women8217;s champ Steffi Graf was leading Belgian qualifier Kim Clijsters of Belgium 6-2, 4-2.