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Nadal calls Agassi the favourite as both reach Rogers Cup quarter-finals
Bill Beacon, Canadian Press
August 12th, 2005
MONTREAL (CP) - Rafael Nadal may be the crowd favourite, but he's picking Andre Agassi to win the Rogers Cup.
The top-seeded Nadal advanced to the quarter-finals of the $2.45-million US hardcourt event on Thursday with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Sebastien Grosjean of France. The veteran Agassi had little trouble dispatching error-prone Nicolas Kiefer of Germany 6-4, 6-2 in a night match at which Prime Minister Paul Martin was seated courtside.
The 19-year-old Spaniard, who is seeking his first career hardcourt victory, would have to reach the final to face 35-year-old Agassi, the fourth seed who has 60 career tournament wins in his 19-year career.
"I am No. 1 in the tournament, but the No. 1 doesn't always win," Nadal said with an impish grin. "I'm not the favourite.
"Agassi is the most favourite, I think. He won a tournament two weeks ago (in Los Angeles) and he's playing good on these courts, so he's the favourite. I hope to play him and if I make (it past) the semifinals, there's a chance."
Agassi wasn't falling for sweet talk.
"I've played No. 1 in the world tennis before and there wasn't a time when I ever felt like a favourite," said the former world No. 1. "It was always a match at a time for me.
"During all the years with Pete (Sampras), everybody would talk about the finals. I think Pete and I were the only two guys not thinking about that."
In Friday's quarter-finals, Nadal will face a fellow left-hander in eighth-seeded Mariano Puerta of Argentina, whom he beat in four sets in the French Open final in June. Puerta, who sat out nine months in 2003-04 after testing positive for clenbuterol, beat Xavier Malisse of Belgium 6-2, 6-4.
Other quarter-finals have fourth-seeded Agassi against sixth-seeded Gaston Gaudio of Argentina, Montreal-born Greg Rusedski of Britain against Dominik Hrbaty of Slovakia, and Karol Beck of Slovakia against Paul-Henri Mathieu of France.
In doubles play, Daniel Nestor of Toronto made a successful return from a wrist injury as he and partner Mark Knowles of the Bahamas, seeded third, defeated Argentina's Puerta and David Nalbandian 6-2, 7-6 (3) to reach the quarter-finals.
It was Nestor's first match since he had surgery on his left wrist on June 17. The lefty hurt the wrist at the French Open.
There was no question which player fans in the packed Uniprix Stadium grandstands have adopted.
The athletic, bandana-clad, fist-pumping Nadal got a huge ovation as he entered and left centre court and has been dogged all week by autograph seekers.
On court he has been impeccable, winning his first three matches with solid baseline play and a daring mix of shots.
"I'm in the quarter-finals - there's a long way to go," he said. "For me to play the final here would be unbelievable and if I play Andre Agassi it would be unbelievable, too.
I want to play against him because he's a legend of tennis and I never played him. I hope to play him before he retires. But I don't know when he'll retire because he's unbelievable."
Replied Agassi: "I'd like to play him before HE retires."
Nadal looked fresh despite having played a late, rain-delayed match Wednesday night, but appeared to be in trouble early when Grosjean went up 15-40 in the second game of the opening set. But Nadal fought off the service-break threat and controlled the rest of the match.
"We had a lot of wind and it was changing direction all the time and it wasn't easy to play good tennis," he said. "But I'm happy. I played a good match and beat a very good player."
Nadal has rocketed to No. 2 in world rankings after winning eight tournaments this year, but all were on clay courts. He has a 3-1 record against Puerta, also all on clay. Current world No. 1 Roger Federer missed the tournament with an injury.
Agassi and Kiefer held service until 4-4 in the first set when the German botched an easy drop shot and slammed the net with his racquet in frustration. Later in the game, Kiefer double-faulted to lose his service and never threatened again.
Beck, who knocked off No. 9 seed David Nalbandian of Argentina on Wednesday, played the giant-killer again with a 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 (4) win over fifth-seeded Nikolay Davydenko of Russia.
Beck will next play another spoiler in Mathieu, a 6-1, 6-2 winner over Olivier Rochus of Belgium. Mathieu had beaten third-seeded Andy Roddick of the United States in the opening round.
Mathieu called it his best match of the week.
"I played a great match against Roddick, too, but I felt better on the court," said Mathieu, 23, plagued by injuries the last two years. "I have a little more confidence."
Gaudio beat 11th-seeded Tommy Robredo of Spain to set up a quarter-final meeting with Agassi. Agassi is 3-1 against Gaudio in his career, including a hardcourt win at Miami this year, but called Gaudio a dangerous opponent with "one of the best one-handed backhands in the game."
Rusedski downed rangy Mario Ancic of Croatia 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 to reach the quarter-finals of his "home" tournament for the first time in eight attempts.
Rusedski was booed by the Montreal crowd on his first visit after opting to play as a Briton in 1995 and did not enter the tournament again until 2001.
"I've always wanted to play well in Montreal," said Rusedski, the hard-serving left-hander who has 15 career ATP tournament wins. "It's really nice to be in the quarter-finals and hopefully it can continue.
"It's nice to have the support from the public. It's been really enjoyable to me."
Rusedski set back his own cause when he put an easy drop shot into the net and lost his serve in the second set, but he rebounded to break service for a 3-1 lead in the third and coasted to the win.
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