Scottsdale, March 10: An upset and an injury devastated the high-profile field at the $³375,000 Franklin Templeton Classic as the ATP Tour event lost both Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras. Agassi, ranked N0. 1 and winner of three of the last four Grand Slams, was the first to go, hammered 6-1, 6-2 by Spain's Francisco Clavet in the second round on Thursday. Two hours later, the injury-prone Sampras announced that a strained ligament on the right side of his lower back - which he first felt after beating Greg Rusedski in the first round on Tuesday night - would keep him away. He announced his withdrawal an hour before he was to take the court against Spain's Alex Corretja. Scottsdale is now without their two home-grown stars at the final eight stage. Four Spaniards remain in the field, while third-seeded Chilean Marcelo Rios and No. 4 Nicolas Lapentti of Ecuador are the top seeds remaining. Fifth seed Tim Henman of Britain and Australian Lleyton Hewitt are the other quarter-finalists. While Sampras got an unwelcome reminder of the serious injury that forced him out of the US Open last August, Agassi got a painful reminder of the low days that he seemed to have left behind for good at the Flushing Meadows. Agassi slumped to his worst form in more than a year as Clavet ended his year-long, 10-match winning streak. Agassi's game fell apart as the quiet Clavet worked his magic in 49 minutes. ``I had forgotten that days like this are possible. I haven't been beaten like this in some time, and it doesn't feel good,'' Agassi said, adding he would try to sort out his game in time for Indian Wells Henman earned his fourth career victory over Byron Black to move into the quarters. Henman notched seven aces - including one on match point - and saved two of the three break points he faced. Rios made another stride in his comeback from leg-surgery, beating Spain's Alberto Martin 7-6 (9-7), 7-6 (7-3). Spain's Albert Costa, the event's seventh seed, beat Romanian Andrei Pavel 6-2, 6-4 while 20-year-old Juan Carlos Ferrero of Spain ousted compatriot Carlos Moya, a former French Open champion, 6-1, 7-6 (7-5), and Hewitt defeated Chris Woodruff 3-6, 6-2, 6-3.sport-Colombia Kuerten in quarters BOGOTA: Top seed Gustavo Kuerten of Brazil beat Argentina's Sebastian Prieto 6-3, 7-5 on Thursday to advance to the quarterfinals of the Cerveza Club Colombia tennis tournament. In other matches of $³350,000 ATP Tour event, Mariano Puerta of Argentina defeated David Sanguinetti of Italy 6-4, 6-3, Germany's Markus Hantschk upset seventh-seeded Hernan Gumy of Argentina 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 (7-3), and Spain's Felix Mantilla beat Argentina's Juan Ignacio Chela, 6-4, 7-5.
