Agassi Hit by Scud, Women Advance in Snoozers at Wimbledon

ATP REVIEW/PREVIEW
Mark Philippoussis made a breakthrough of sorts Monday at Wimbledon, defeating No. 2 seed Andre Agassi in five sets for his fourth quarterfinal appearance. The Aussie, who served a record-tying 46 aces, stood tall while Agassi blinked in the fifth set, with the American committing four unforced errors when serving at 3-3. Flipper also fought off an impressive nine of 11 break point chances with the big serve repeatedly getting him out of trouble, but the true test will see if he can advance to his first-ever Wimbledon semifinal. Andy Roddick, now the lone American remaining, fought off an early challenge from Paradorn Srichaphan, who had a mental breakdown after failing to convert four break points at 1-1 in the third set, losing in four. A-Rod next faces unseeded Jonas Bjorkman, who reached his first quarterfinal in 10 Wimbledon attempts with a win over fellow un-seed Max "The Beast with the Grease" Mirnyi. Roger Federer hurt his back during the warm-up of his match with serve-and-volleying Spaniard Feliciano Lopez, but still repelled the crafty lefty in straight sets. Other winners were (10)Henman (d. (6)Nalbandian) in a back-and-forth four setter, (9)Schalken (d. (9)Schuettler in straights), and unseeded Alexander Popp (d. O.Rochus in four); play was suspended due to darkness with (13)Grosjean leading (3)Ferrero two sets to one. "I played some great tennis early on. I set my level pretty high," said Henman to the BBC after beating last year's runner-up. "I felt like I played the better tennis. I was trying to be aggressive on my serve all the time." The Brit hope will now face either Grosjean or Ferrero. "Fingers crossed. It gets tougher and tougher. Grosjean beat me at Queens' and is playing great tennis and Ferrero's confidence is sky-high after winning the French Open." In doubles upsets, Erlich/Ram pounded (6)Llodra/Santoro in straight sets.

Today's schedule features the women's quarterfinals and only one men's singles match in (13)Grosjean vs. (3)Ferrero to finish.

MOST ACES HIT IN A MATCH LEADERBOARD:

WTA REVIEW/PREVIEW
While "Super Monday" sounded pretty exciting at the onset, it turned out to be just another day of poundings on the women's side, further illustrating the gap between the Top 8 and the rest of the pack. All five Russians would have went out Monday, had two not faced each other in (33)Kuznetsova outlasting Maria "Jail Bait" Sharapova 7-5 in the third out on Court 13, which seats about 10 people. Other players moving on were (1)Serena (d. (15)Dementieva), (2)Clijster (d. doubles partner (13)Sugiyama), (3)Henin-Hardenne (d. Pierce), (4)Venus (d. (16)Zvonareva), (5)Davenport (d. Asagoe), (8)Capriati (d. (10)Myskina), and (27)Farina Elia (d. Suarez). None of the Top 8 seeds in action lost more than six games. In doubles upsets, (12)Mandula/Wartusch ousted (5)Black/Likhovtseva, coming from a set down.

Tuesday's play features two all-American quarterfinals in (4)Venus vs. (5)Davenport (Venus leads the series 11-10, with this their first meeting of 2003), and (1)Serena vs. (8)Capriati (Serena leads 8-4, including a three-set win earlier this year in Miami), with the other quarters (2)Clijsters vs. (27)Farina Elia (Lleyton's girlfriend leads 2-0), and (3)Henin-Hardenne vs. (33)Kuznetsova (first meeting).

TOUR NOTES, QUOTES, AND BARBS
London oddsmakers have no installed Mark Philippoussis as the No. 2 pick to win on the men's side…Sylvia Faria reached her first career Slam quarterfinal in her 44th attempt…At 31, Jonas Bjorkman is the oldest player left in either singles draw…Roger Federer's back, we are told, is not that bad…Andre Agassi paid a visit to the All-England Club a couple of weeks before the tournament: "Just an opportunity to come here and enjoy my membership that I don't get to enjoy from the other side of the world. Being a member of this club makes you consider moving, it's so special. So when I'm here, I do enjoy the opportunity to take advantage of it, practicing here, having a cup of tea."...How happy was Jenny Cap yesterday after getting relegated to Court 18 for her fourth round match?...According to CNN, Younes El Aynaoui is a "serve and volley specialist"...Steffi's nephew is spending the summer at the Agassi household...The slower conditions at Wimbledon don't seem to bother Mark Philippoussis: "As long as it's sleek and green, I'm happy."...Brad Gilbert enjoyed some light moments on the practice court with former protege Mary Pierce...Serena Williams continues to fine-tune her game with precise insights: "I don't like to hit double faults. I hate giving away a point like that. So I try not to hit them."...Wimbledon will now see a first-time winner on the men's side -- if Henman can't win it this year, may as well put the racquets in the bag...Mark Philippoussis equaled Goran Ivansevic's 1997 record of 46 aces in a single match at the All-England Club in beating Andre Agassi yesterday...Ferrero is on a 10-match win streak, while Schalken, Roddick and Federer have won 9 straight…Kim Clijsters has won 50 matches this year, the quickest player to 50 since Martina Navratilova in 1982…In four matches, Clijsters has been on the court for 3:06…Lindsay Davenport has 10 wins over Venus, which along with Hingis is the most wins against the elder Williams among players…If Serena loses before the Wimbledon final, Kim Clijsters could become No. 1 for the first time in her career...This is the fourth consecutive year that both Venus and Serena have reached the Wimbledon quarterfinals (sixth consecutive for Venus alone)...WEATHER: A mix of sun and rain expected...STAT OF THE DAY: Mark Philippoussis is 10-0 in matches in which he serves 30 or more aces.