Couch Umpire
Louie
Yinette PerezAgassi Says Goodbye to The Championships
July 2nd 2006 13:05
Andre Agassi Andre Agassi's 14th and final Wimbledon campaign ended Saturday when he was beaten 7-6(5), 6-2, 6-4 by second seed Rafael Nadal. Agassi, 36, led Nadal, 20, 5-2 in the first-set tie-break but could not close. The 1992 Wimbledon champion dropped the set and was broken in the first game of the second set as the two-time reigning Roland Garros champion busted open the match.
It was an emotional farewell for Agassi, who thanked the crowd for all the support they had shown him over his decorated career. "There have been a lot of incredible years here and I'll never be able to repay the way you have embraced me, so I thank you for that. This [Wimbledon] is it for us - when you dream about being a pro player you dream about being right here. I've had the privilege to be here many times and I'm very thankful for that."
Agassi announced before Wimbledon began that he would retire after the 2006 US Open.
Nadal, who in the first round rallied from two sets down just to stay alive in the tournament, next faces fellow left-hander, Irakli Labadze for a place in the quarterfinals. The Georgian was leading Mardy Fish 6-2 when the American, who had been feeling ill, was forced to retire.
Lleyton Hewitt, the 2002 Wimbledon champion, breezed into the fourth round with a 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 win over Olivier Rochus. Hewitt, who won his fourth Stella Artois Championships two weeks ago at Queen's, served 15 aces during the victory.
Russian Dmitry Tursunov came from two sets down to defeat fifth-seeded Croatian Ivan Ljubicic 5-7, 4-6, 6-1, 7-6(8), 6-2. The Russian, who has reached the fourth round for the second consecutive year, next plays Finn Jarkko Nieminen. Nieminen reached his first Wimbledon fourth round with a 1-6, 6-2, 6-3 7-6(4) win over German Philipp Kohlschreiber.
Croatian Mario Ancic, a semifinalist in 2005, finished strongly to defeat Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka 7-6(5), 6-7(5), 6-1, 6-3. Ancic next meets Serb Novak Djokovic and is seeded to meet top seed Roger Federer in the quarterfinals.
David Ferrer became the third Spaniard (Nadal, Verdasco) to make the last 16 after coming from two sets down to defeat 10th seeded Chilean Fernando Gonzalez 4-6, 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, 6-4. It is the first time in four attempts that Ferrer has progressed beyond the second round at Wimbledon. He next meets Hewitt.
*article and photos copyrighted to www.atptennis.com.
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