Agassi Has a Racquet-Smashing Time in ATP Houston Win

Other seeded winners Tuesday were (7) Nikolay Davydenko (d. (Q) Fogues), (9) Thomas Johansson (d. Malisse), (11) Radek Stepanek (d. Labadze from a set down), (13) Dave Ferrer (d. Spanish countryman Verdasco), and (14) Juan Ignacio Chela (d. (Q) Portas).

Leading the un-seeds was former No. 1 Juan Carlos Ferrero (d. Spanish countryman Montanes in three), joined in the second round by countrymen Santiago Ventura (d. (WC) Blanco) and Al Martin (d. El Aynaoui), the pride of Luxembourg Gilles Muller (d. (WC) M.Lopez), Aussie Wayne Arthurs (d. (Q) Ramirez Hidalgo), Argentina's Agustin Calleri (d. (Q) Monfils in two tiebreaks), Czech Jan Hernych (d. (WC) Murray from a set down), and in second-round play Max "The Beast" Mirnyi continued his claycourt tear with a straight-set win over Juan Monaco.

"I think I played very well," said Ferrero, who came back from down a break 4-5 in the third. "I kept my concentration after the (Montanes) injury break and physically I felt 100 percent although I still need to do some work on my forehand."

Scheduled for Wednesday on the dirt are (6) Robredo vs. A.Martin in an all-Spanish, Ferrero vs. (12) Feliciano "F-Lo" Lopez in another all-ESP, Muller vs. (8) Rafael "The Prodigy" Nadal, (1) Safin vs. Acasuso, Mantilla vs. (2) Gaudio, (11) Stepanek vs. Ventura, (4) Coria vs. Peter "Nuclear" Wessels, Arthurs vs. (5) Canas, (13) Ferrer vs. Hernych, Calleri vs. (14) Juan Ignacio "The Spitting Snake" Chela in an all-Argentine, (10) Dominik "The Dominator" Hrbaty vs. Italy's "You Say" Potito Starace, and (Q) Wawrinka vs. (15) Paradorn "The Thai Fighter" Srichaphan.

Roddick, Agassi, Haas Lead Winners at ATP Houston

Top three seeds Andy Roddick (d. (Q) Boeker), Andre Agassi (d. Tabara), and Tommy Haas (d. Vliegen) all advanced in straight sets to lead the seeds Tuesday at the ATP claycourt stop in Houston.

"I played well considering it was for the first time in a tournament match in three weeks," Roddick said. "I moved pretty well and sneaked out a couple of points."

Haas fell behind 1-3 in the second set before closing it out in straights.

"He started to go for more shots in the second set," Haas said of Vliegen. "He played some good shots. He broke me but I broke back and in the end I hit some pretty good shots to win."

Agassi, stretched to a second-set tiebreak, uncorked his frustration by smashing a racquet after losing the first point of the breaker.

"It was probably a healthy combination of reasons," Agassi said of his racquet smashing. "I was really frustrated through most of the middle of the second set. I had some 0-30 chances and never felt I stepped up."

Also winning on the seeded side was No. 8 Luis Horna (d. Enqvist), while France's Anthony Dupuis (d. (4) Massu, bagel in the second) baked the only seeded upset on the day.

Un-seeds into the second round were four Americans in Jeff Morrison (d. Popp), (WC) James Blake (d. Minar), (LL) Paul Goldstein (d. Vanek) and Kevin Kim (d. (LL) Garcia), Israel's Noam Okun (d. Mello), Spaniard Oscar Hernandez (d. (Q) Bogomolov Jr.), and Ecuador's (Q) Nicolas Lapentti (d. Zib).

No. 5 seed and seemingly perpetually-injured Taylor Dent withdrew from the event with an ankle injury.

In the lone doubles match on the day, wildcards Tres Davis/Roddick defeated Blake/Mardy Fish 6-4, 6-4.

On court Wednesday are (Q) Okun vs. (7) Jurgen "Tuna" Melzer, (1) Roddick vs. Ginepri in an all-American, (3) Haas vs. Jeff "Baby Krajicek" Morrison, and (LL) Goldstein vs. (8) Luis "Me So" Horna.

Fed Cup Preview: Belgium at U.S.

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:

Belgium at U.S.
Site: Delray Beach Tennis Center, FL, USA
Surface: Hard outdoors
Ball: Wilson US Open Regular Duty High Visibility Felt

Former No. 1s Justine Henin-Hardenne and Kim Clijsters are content to play week-in and week-out in their comeback efforts in early 2005, but when it comes to Fed Cup they repeat the tired mantra of not wanting to overplay. C'mon, for once just cut the crap and tell it like it is -- playing for Belgium is not important to you, or they don't offer you enough money, or you can't stand being in close proximity of each other for a weekend, etc. Come clean.

"Fed Cup just didn't fit in my schedule this year," Clijsters said.

In the meantime, what could have become a highlight of the year will instead become a lowlight as the "B"-squad of Belgians Kirsten Flipkens and Els Callens line up to take a beating against the powerhouse U.S. squad of world No. 1 Lindsay Davenport and the former No. 1 Williams sisters, Serena and Venus.

Enough said? The U.S. will face the winner of Russia-Italy in the second round.

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