Aced

Agassi's quest for fifth Aussie Open title ended by Safin

Marat Safin beat five Americans on his way to a second Aussie Open final. AP

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) -- Defending champion Andre Agassi was beaten in the Australian Open semifinals Friday, losing to a surging Marat Safin in five sets.

Agassi, bidding for his ninth Grand Slam title, fell 7-6 (6), 7-6 (6), 5-7, 1-6, 6-3 to an opponent who ousted top-ranked Andy Roddick in the quarterfinals.

Agassi rallied after dropping the first two set but Safin persevered, ending the fourth-seeded American's 26-match winning streak at the Australian Open. Agassi called this "the toughest day I've had."

"Marat played at an incredibly high level," Agassi said. "I forced him to play at that level the whole time. Sometimes you just need a little luck at the right time. I had chances that went away."

Safin next meets the winner of Friday's semifinal between second-seeded Roger Federer and Juan Carlos Ferrero, a showdown for the No. 1 ranking.

Justine Henin-Hardenne and Kim Clijsters will play for the women's No. 1 spot after winning their semifinals to ensure another all-Belgian Grand Slam final.

Henin-Hardenne downed No. 32 Fabiola Zuluaga of Colombia 6-2, 6-2, and Clijsters eliminated No. 22 Patty Schnyder of Switzerland, 6-2, 7-6 (2).

Agassi won the title last three times he played at Melbourne Park, missing only in 2002 while recuperating from wrist surgery.

Safin, a former No. 1 and U.S. Open winner whose ranking slipped to 86th with wrist problems last year, proved again he still has the talent to rejoin the tennis elite.

The unseeded Russian had 33 aces against Agassi, one of the game's best serve returners. Just as important, he mostly kept his temper in check.

Asked if he was playing as well as during his peak, Safin said: "It's so long ago, I don't really remember."

"I don't have the words to describe what I'm feeling now," he added. "I don't have anything inside me now."

Clijsters will try again against her countrywoman after Henin-Hardenne beat her for the French and U.S. Open titles last year to reach No. 1.

Kim Clijsters said her sore ankle wouldn't hamper her semifinal match against Patty Schnyder, and her play proved her correct. AP

Taking the court just 25 hours after a quarterfinal in which she reinjured her sprained left ankle, the second-seeded Clijsters chased down drop shots and ran sideline to sideline to beat Schnyder.

"I knew it was going to be a little sore," said Clijsters, who tested her ankle before the match, smearing it with anti-inflammatory cream and taping it tightly. "But doctors have reassured me that I'm not going to make it any worse by playing."

Henin-Hardenne beat a player who reached the semis when Amelie Mauresmo withdrew before their quarterfinal because of a back injury.

Agassi and Safin produced high drama in their 3-hour, 42-minute match. Baseline shots that would have been winners against lesser players kept coming back. And coming back.

Agassi had two set points in the first and one in the second, but Safin responded each time. Agassi got one set back by breaking Safin at 5-6. With the crowd cheering him after he went ahead 15-40, Agassi sent back a service return that Safin plunked into the net.

Safin was soon muttering to himself after a backhand into the net gave Agassi an early break in the fourth. Agassi broke again to go up 5-1 and served out to even the match.

Safin broke early in the fifth set and never gave Agassi a chance to break back, finishing the match with a backhand winner down the line.

Agassi was the fifth American to lose to Safin, who also beat Brian Vahaly, Todd Martin, James Blake and Roddick.

"I hope I didn't kill their confidence before Davis Cup," Safin said, referring to next week's match between the United States and Austria.

Clijsters hurt her ankle at the Hopman Cup and was sidelined for two weeks before the Australian Open. She aggravated the injury in a quarterfinal victory over sixth-seeded Anastasia Myskina.

Like Henin-Hardenne, Clijsters scored her sixth consecutive straight-sets victory, which has helped minimize the stress on her ankle.

"I'm feeling good," she said. "Whatever the time you can rest, the better, particularly with my foot."

Both Belgians reached the semifinals at all four majors last season. Neither had made the Australian Open final before.

Clijsters said she's not thinking about her previous big losses to Henin-Hardenne, blaming them in part on playing doubles at the French and U.S. Opens. She's stuck to just singles this time.

"In those matches, I knew where the problem was laying and I knew that it wasn't psychological," Clijsters said. "I was a little bit exhausted at the end of those two Slams. This year, I think I've become a little bit smarter."

All three semifinals were played under a closed roof at Rod Laver Arena as light rain fell throughout the day.

Henin-Hardenne made 25 unforced errors, including 15 in the second set against Zuluaga, the first Colombian woman to reach a Grand Slam semifinal.

"It was a good fight, long rallies," she said. "I played well on the important points and served well when I had to."