Courier, Agassi put US ahead

INDIANAPOLIS, July 18: Andre Agassi showed Christophe van Garsse that he is not the same player the young Belgian player saw in France....

INDIANAPOLIS, July 18: Andre Agassi showed Christophe van Garsse that he is not the same player the young Belgian player saw in France.

8220;When I saw him playing in the French Open, I thought, OK, maybe I can do something,8221; van Garsse said about Agassi, who lost in the first round in Paris.

But after losing 6-2, 6-2, 6-2 to Agassi in their Davis Cup singles match yesterday, van Garsse realised he was no match for the American.

The victory gave the United States a 2-0 advantage in the World Group quarter-final. The US team can clinch the match with a doubles victory by Todd Martin and Richey Reneberg.

Filip Dewulf, who lost to Jim Courier in the opening singles match at the Indianapolis Tennis Center, has been announced as Belgium8217;s doubles player with 17-year-old Xavier Malisse. However, Dewulf indicated yesterday he didn8217;t expect to play. Belgium captain Koen Gonnisen can switch his team until an hour before the match.

In the opening match, Courier beat Dewulf 6-3, 7-6 7-1, 2-6, 6-3.Dewulf, whoclimbed past No 48 courier to 43rd in the world rankings by reaching the semifinals of the Swiss Open last week, looked lost on the hard surface.

Agassi had only three break points against him and lost two as he took sole possession of third place for Davis Cup victories by an US player, bringing his record to 26-5. He can tie the late Arthur Ashe for second place with a victory in the reverse singles tomorrow. John McEnroe leads with 41 victories.

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The United States-Belgium winner plays Italy or Zimbabwe in the semi-finals September 25-27. Italy leads that series 2-0 and would travel to the United States if both teams advance.

The United States has won more Davis Cup titles 31 and more matches 187 than any other country. It is 2-0 against Belgium, having prevailed 4-1 in 1953 and 3-2 in 1957.

In other quarter-finals, Germany and Sweden split their opening singles, while Spain leads Switzerland 2-0.

At Hamburg, Germany, Tommy Haas upset Jonas Bjorkman 6-3, 7-6 7-4, 7-5 before Sweden8217;s ThomasEnqvist evened the quarter-final by sweeping Nicolas Kiefer 6-3, 6-3, 7-5.

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8220;It8217;s what we wanted from the singles,8221; said Boris Becker, head of Germany8217;s Davis Cup team. 8220;It leaves everything open.8221;

At La Coruna Spain, Carlos Moya and Alex Corretja won for Spain on clay courts. Moya, the French Open champion, beat 142nd-ranked Ivo Heuberger 6-1, 6-2, 6-1 and Corretja downed Marc Rosset 6-1, 6-2, 6-2.

At Prato, Italy, Andrea Gaudenzi and Davide Sanguinetti defeated Zimbabwe8217;s Black brothers. Gaudenzi downed Wayne Black 6-3, 6-3, 6-4, then Sanguinetti took Byron Black 6-3, 6-3, 6-0.