Agassi-Courier Sideshow Short-lived at ATP Houston

Seeded winners on the day were (9) Thomas Johansson (d. Koubek, dropping only three games), (10) Dominik Hrbaty (d. Haehnel 1-and-1), (12) Feliciano Lopez (d. Spanish countryman Almagro), and (15) Paradorn Srichaphan (d. Carlsen in a battle of the clay-impaired).

Argentine Juan Monaco orchestrated the lone upset on the day, outlasting (16) Igor Andreev in three sets.

Other un-seeds into the second round Monday were Argentine Jose Acasuso (d. (WC) Vicente), Swiss qualifier Stanislas Wawrinka (d. Spaniard Garcia-Lopez), Dutchman Peter Wessels (d. Saulnier), Italy's Potito Starace (d. (Q) Gabashvili 1-and-1), Spaniards Felix Mantilla (d. Llodra) and qualifier Francisco Fogues (d. C.Rochus in three), Belgian Xavier Malisse (d. Kohlschreiber), and Fin qualifier Jarkko Nieminen (d. H.-T. Lee).

On tap for Tuesday on the dirt in Barcelona are (Q) Albert "The Dropshot Dragon" Portas vs. (14) Juan Ignacio "The Spitting Snake" Chela, Montanes vs. the former No. 1 Ferrero in an always-testy all-Spanish, (Q) Nieminen vs. the dethroned (3) "King" Carlos Moya, (13) Ferrer vs. Fernando "Hot Sauce" Verdasco in another all-ESP, (7) Davydenko vs. (Q) Fogues, El Aynaoui vs. A.Martin, Calleri vs. (Q) Zouhir, Xavier "X-Man" Malisse vs. (9) T.Johansson, Juan "The Principality" Monaco vs. Max "The Beast" Mirnyi, (11) Stepanek vs. Irakli "Freak Show" Labadze, (WC) "Ernest & Julio" Galo Blanco vs. Ventura, (WC) M.Lopez vs. Muller, Arthurs vs. (Q) Ramirez Hidalgo, and (WC) Murray vs. Hernych.

Americans Agassi/Courier, Young Flop at ATP Houston

It was a great gimmick while it lasted -- a little less than a day.

Jim Courier, playing his first ATP match since 2000, teamed with Andre Agassi as a wildcard doubles team at the ATP stop in Houston Monday, but the party came to an abrupt halt with a 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 loss to the unheralded Argentine/Peruvian pairing of Martin Garcia and Luis Horna.

"They are two of the greatest players in the game so we expected the people to be for them," Garcia said. "They were having fun and we started to have some fun, too."

The other oddity of the day, 15-year-old American wildcard Donald Young, was hammered 6-1, 6-4 by unseeded Spaniard Alex Calatrava, dropping his win loss mark on the year to 0-5.

Other singles winners Monday were (6) Sebastien Grosjean (d. Phau in three), (7) Jurgen Melzer (d. Puerta), and American Robby Ginepri (d. countryman Fish).

The final round of qualifying was also completed, with four advancing to the big dance in Mathias Boeker (USA), Alex Bogomolov Jr. (USA), Noam Okun (ISR), and Nicolas Lapentti (ECU).

On tap Tuesday in Houston are (1) Roddick vs. (Q) Boeker, (3) Haas vs. Vliegen, Tabara vs. (2) Agassi, in doubles Blake/Fish vs. (WC) Davis/Roddick, Popp vs. Morrison, Enqvist vs. (8) Horna, Minar vs. (WC) Blake, Dupuis vs. (4) Massu, Hernandez vs. (Q) Bogomolov Jr., Massa vs. Vanek, (Q) Okun vs. Mello, (5) Dent vs. K.Kim, and (Q) N.Lapentti vs. Zib.

Fed Cup Preview: Russia at Italy

This year the Fed Cup kicks off its new format, with only eight teams competing in the elite "World Group I" to lift the Fed Cup for 2005. The Fed Cup final also moves from December to the week after the US Open.

"The changes that the ITF has made to Fed Cup come in response to the views of the players and our member National Associations," said ITF President Francesco Ricci "Itti" Bitti. "We believe that the new format can only enhance the competition and bring it closer to the very successful Davis Cup model. Fed Cup is, if not the most important, surely one of the most important team competitions for women in sport and the ITF is convinced that these changes will allow Fed Cup to maintain this position for the future."

Tennis-X will preview one of the World Group I ties each day leading to the Saturday start of the first round of the 2005 Fed Cup:

Russia at Italy
Site: Circolo Tennis Brindisi, Brindisi, Italy
Surface: Red clay outdoors
Ball Type: Dunlop Fort Duck

The defending champion Russians meet the Italians for the first time in Fed Cup play in 25 years, with French Open runner-up Elena Dementieva heading the Russian squad after Anastasia Myskina dropped out with a bad shoulder. Nadia Petrova looks like the front-runner to replace Myskina. The Italians will look to ride the home court advantage and somehow put up a fight with the underpowered foursome of Flavia Pennetta, Tathiana Garbin, Francesca Schiavone, and Maria-Elena Camerin. Look for Russia to advance to the second round against the U.S.

X-CORRECT
Andre Agassi last played doubles at Queen's in 2004, and before that not since 2001.

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Tatiana Golovin has pulled from France's Fed Cup meeting with Austria, citing a back injury suffered at Charleston...Aussie Nicole Pratt says her tiff with the Aussie Fed Cup team is not over Alicia Molik getting paid more money: "In no way, shape or form was I asking for additional appearance money. It is not about money at all," Pratt told Sydney radio station 2KY. "I've competed in two Olympics Games and you don't get paid a single cent for Olympic Games. If I had an issue with money, I wouldn't be showing up for the Sydney or the Athens Games. What I said was, we need to clear this (management issue) up guys, we need to do it the next 48 hours...so if we can't resolve this issue then it will allow for another person to be in the team. I love to play Fed Cup, I love to represent Australia. My problem isn't with Fed Cup, my problem is with other issues with Tennis Australia...My issue isn't whether player Y is getting this support or that support. My issue -- I need everything to be transparent, up front, honest so we can work through all these issues."...Look for the announcement in Houston this week that Jim "Mattress Mac" McIngvale will be bringing the ATP senior tour back to the states at his Westside Tennis Club...Matt Cronin reports that Anastasia Myskina has pulled from this weekend's Fed Cup tie with Italy with a bum shoulder.