NEW YORK, 1 September 2003 — Andre Agassi pushed another old adversary closer to retirement when he overpowered Yevgeny Kafelnikov 6-3, 7-6, 6-4 in a rain interrupted match to reach the US Open fourth round yesterday.
Third seed Lindsay Davenport of the United States advanced to the quarterfinals by defeating Russia’s 19th-ranked Nadia Petrova 6-0, 6-7 (6 8), 6-2 here yesterday.
Agassi, leading 6-3, 0-1 when rain over Flushing Meadows forced the pair off Arthur Ashe court on Saturday, was quick to find his rhythm when they returned, immediately breaking the Russian to level the second set. But Kafelnikov, who has hinted that he is considering retirement, was also soon back in the groove, fighting to send the set into a tiebreak, which Agassi won 7-4.
Twice US Open champion and three-times runner-up, including last year, Agassi underlined his determination to win a ninth grand slam when he went a break down at 3-1 in the third set before storming back to win five of the next six games.
Agassi next meets American compatriot Taylor Dent, who advanced with a 7-6, 6-7, 3-6, 7-6, 6-4 win over 15th-seeded Chilean Fernando Gonzalez.
A delighted Younes El Aynaoui ripped off his shirt and threw his rackets into the crowd after beating 10th seed Jiri Novak 7-6, 5-7, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 yesterday. The Moroccan 22nd seed won the final set tiebreak 7-5 after Czech Novak pushed a simple backhand volley wide — the signal for El Aynaoui to collapse in relief.
It was a tumultuous, three hour, 29 minute match appreciated by the galleries, who gave the pair a standing ovation at the start of the fifth-set tiebreak. El Aynaoui was involved in the longest fifth set, in terms of games, in men’s singles grand slam history in January, when he lost 21-19 to Andy Roddick in the deciding set of their Australian Open quarter-final. El Aynaoui meets Spain’s Carlos Moya in the fourth round.
Seventh seed Moya of Spain advanced with a 7-5, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 triumph over Chile’s Nicolas Massu. Moya won the 1998 French Open and reached the 1997 Australian Open final, losing to Pete Sampras. His best US Open showing came in 1998 when he reached the semifinals, losing to Australia’s Mark Philippoussis.
Davenport reached her seventh consecutive US Open quarterfinal, where she will face the winner of a later match between Russia’s 36th-ranked Elena Likhovtseva and 25th-ranked Paola Suarez of Argentina.
Davenport was limping by the finish of her first test at the year’s final Grand Slam event, with the sore left foot that forced her to pull out of a WTA final a week ago. “It gave me a little trouble,” Davenport said of her foot, which received a cortizone injection last Sunday to numb the pain and will undergo surgery after the Open.
Justine Henin-Hardenne and Juan Carlos Ferrero handled one of the strangest days in US Open history like the champions they are, winning with character and poise despite the distractions. A court-closing oil spill, unsettling deja vu, a bothersome blimp, and a four-hour rain delay combined to make a bizarre Saturday that ended with world No. 1 Agassi still waiting to finish his third-round match.
When a motorized drying machine leaked oil across the Grandstand court, it was closed and two matches were moved, including Henin-Hardenne’s 6-1, 6-2 triumph over Japan’s Saori Obata.
Spain’s third-seeded Ferrero, also a French Open champion, waited all day to spoil the 24th birthday of Argentina’s Juan Ignacio Chela, advancing 7-5, 7-5, 6-1 after “just playing cards all day and waiting for the rain to stop.”
Next in Ferrero’s path is American Todd Martin, who beat compatriot Robby Ginepri 6-7 (2 7), 7-6 (7 4), 6-4, 6-4 late in the tumultuous day. Fifth seed Guillermo Coria of Argentina beat France’s Gregory Carraz 7-5, 6-1, 7-5 in a match that began with five games on the Grandstand and ended on an outer court after a long delay in informing players of the switch.
Now Coria does not know if he can play in today’s fourth round, saying a left inner thigh injury might force him to withdraw from his matchup against Sweden’s Jonas Bjorkman, who had the oddest day of all.
Bjorkman beat Karol Kucera 6-4, 4-6, 6-7 (3 7), 6-4, 6-4 after dueling the Slovakian for four hours and 37 minutes before rain arrived during match point. After Bjorkman slipped on consecutive shots, umpire Carlos Ramos stopped the point in the middle of the rally, citing the safety risk to both players. When they returned, Kucera hit a forehand off the net cord that landed wide and Bjorkman’s day was finally over.
