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Agassi loses in semis at Rome Masters
(Agencies)
Updated: 2005-05-08 09:41

Andre Agassi's strong run at the Rome Masters ended Saturday when French Open runner-up Guillermo Coria beat him 7-5, 7-6 (0) to advance to the final against Rafael Nadal.

Agassi, who had not lost a set this week, was on the verge of evening the match with Coria while serving for the second set at 5-3. On the second point of the game, however, Agassi overruled a line judge and gave Coria a second chance by replaying the point. Agassi went on to lose the point and the game.

"Every year you think it's his last and then he comes back and he's even fitter," said Coria, who is seeded ninth. "It's unbelievable how he runs. I just tried to hold on and make it tough for him."

Nadal reached his third straight final, beating Spanish countryman David Ferrer 4-6, 6-4, 7-5 in this key tuneup for the French Open, which begins May 23. Nadal extended his winning streak to 16 matches and is a tour-best 30-2 on clay this year.

Nadal and Coria will meet Sunday in a rematch of their Monte Carlo final last month, which Nadal won in four sets. The Spaniard also captured a tournament in Barcelona, Spain, in April.

Agassi, seeded sixth, dropped to 5-2 against Coria, with both losses on clay. Coria also won in the 2003 French Open quarterfinals. The Argentine improved to 13-2 on clay this season.

Agassi criticized the way Coria handled a call earlier in match, saying he already was pointing as if his ball was out before it landed.

"That behavior is unacceptable," Agassi said.

Agassi turned 35 a week ago and has not won since his lone title of 2004 at the Cincinnati Masters last August. He made his customary exit with bows and kisses to the sellout crowd, which responded with a long standing ovation. He said that after every tournament the thought crosses his mind that it could be his last visit.

"I think about it all the time really — 14 times a year the past three or four years," he said, referring to the number of tournaments he plays each season. "It was a great atmosphere out there. If I can still walk a year from now I'm going to try to come back."

Nadal, seeded fifth, and Ferrer struggled to hold serve in the second and third sets. Nadal could not convert his first two match points while serving at 5-4 in the third set.

Two games later, Nadal hit a two-handed backhand passing shot to set up his third match point, prompting the teenager to run halfway across the court and launch a leaping fist pump. When Ferrer's forehand sailed long on the next point, Nadal dropped to his knees and raised his arms.

"He played better tennis the first two sets," Nadal said. "In the third set, I played better. I'm happy because I finished the match with my best level of the match. I fought for every ball."

Nadal, a left-hander, played with a cut on his left index finger. On a changeover midway through the second set, a trainer re-taped the injury.

"It's nothing," Nadal said, holding up the black-and-blue finger.

Ferrer was appearing in his second Masters Series semifinal this season after also losing to Nadal in Key Biscayne.

Nadal is trying to become the third straight Spanish winner in Rome following Felix Mantilla in 2003 and Carlos Moya last year. Coria could become the first Argentine champ in Rome since Alberto Mancini beat Agassi in the 1989 final.

Nadal, who turns 19 next month, is also looking to become the youngest winner in Rome since Jimmy Arias (18 years, 9 months) in 1983. Bjorn Borg is the youngest at 17 — in 1974 before winning his first French Open title.



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