Troubled Agassi bows out to Clement

New york, Sept 1: No man is safe at the US Open, which for the first time in history has lost its top two men’s seeds in the first two rounds. Top seed Andre Agassi was sent packing 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 by Frenchman Arnaud Clement here on Thursday, consigning the defending champion to the scrap heap with second seed Gustavo Kuerten of Brazil and two-time Open champion Pat Rafter. "It’s the best victory of my career," Clement said. "To win this match, it’s unbelievable. Maybe 15,000 people watching. Everybody is for him. It’s great." Never in US Open history have the two favored seeds vanished so quickly. But it marks the fourth time it has happened in the past eight Slams, leaving Pete Sampras as the only former champion still in contention for this year’s crown.

Agassi’s 102-minute defeat marked his earliest exit from Flushing Meadows since 1993, when he made a first-round departure with an injured wrist. "I just got outplayed," Agassi said. "Every time I stepped up I kept missing and he stepped up and got offensive just a brutal day." Sweden’s Magnus Norman, the top men’s seed remaining at number three, tries to reach the third round Friday against French qualifier Cyril Saulnier. On the women’s side, 18-year-old defending US Open champion Serena Williams beat 53rd-ranked Nadejda Petrova of Russia 6-3, 6-2 and Australian Open winner Lindsay Davenport and French Open champion Mary Pierce struggled but advanced. Meanwhile, Clement went through to a third-round date against Morocco’s 41st-ranked Hicham Arazi, who ousted South African Wayne Ferreira 6-3, 6-3, 6-7 (5/7), 6-3. Fifth seed Yevgeny Kafelnikov of Russia struggled past 83rd-ranked Alexander Popp of Germany 6-7 (3/7), 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 in two hours and 44 minutes. The 1996 French Open and 1999 Australian Openchampion plays 36th-ranked Dominik Hrbaty of Slovakia for a spot in the round of 16.

Also advancing were 19-year-old Aussie ninth seed Lleyton Hewitt, who bounced France’s Julien Boutter 7-6 (8/6), 6-4, 6-4, and Britain’s 11th-seeded Tim Henman, who beat Chilean qualifier Fernando Gonzalez 6-3, 6-4, 6-2. Williams advanced to a matchup with Italy’s 106th-ranked Giulia Casoni for a berth in the round of 16. Williams denied Petrova on four break-point chances in the second set but was unhappy at hitting only 54 percent on first serves. Davenport rallied to beat Belgian Kim Clijsters 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 while fourth seed Pierce beat Bulgaria’s Magdalena Maleeva 7-5, 2-6, 6-1. Jelena Dokic advanced past Miriam Oremans 6-1, 6-4.