Reality check

Enqvist topples Agassi in Scottsdale's first round

AP

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) -- Defending champion Andre Agassi was upset in the first round of the Franklin Templeton Tennis Classic on Monday by wild card Thomas Enqvist 6-7 (6), 6-4, 6-1.

The defeat snapped Agassi's 12-0 start this year after winning the Australian Open and in San Jose. It was his best start since winning his first 15 matches in 1995. Enqvist, who is 5-4 in his career against Agassi, snapped that run as well, winning in three sets in Philadelphia.

"I've played him a few times, too, when he killed me," Enqvist said. "But I think I like to play when the ball comes fast to me, and Andre has been hitting the ball extremely hard."

In an earlier upset, Cecil Mamiit beat eighth-seeded Xavier Malisse of Belgium 7-6 (5), 7-6 (3).

"My game plan today was to come in and work his backhand," said Mamiit, a Los Angeles native who was ranked 114th to Malisse's 25th. "I needed to be mobile."

Taylor Dent beat Romanian Andrei Pavel 6-3, 7-5, David Sanchez of Spain eliminated Nicolas Massu of Chile 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, Franco Squillari of Argentina defeated Davide Sanguinetti of Italy 6-3, 6-2 and James Blake beat Jay Gooding of Australia 6-2, 6-2.

Enqvist hurt his right shoulder last year and wasn't able to play a match after the U.S. Open. He came to Scottsdale ranked 73rd after going winning just one of seven matches this year.

But the 28-year-old Swede has regained his powerful serve and showed it.

Agassi seemed to have the upper hand when he won went ahead 6-0 in the tiebreaker. But Enqvist stormed back to tie it, only to double-fault on his last serve before Agassi hit a backhand cross-court winner to end the first set.

"After coming back and getting a second chance to tie it up and then hit a double-fault, of course it was very disappointing," Enqvist said.

He recovered to break Agassi in the first and fifth games of the second set. Agassi broke back to cut his deficit to 4-2. On set point, Enqvist blasted a hard serve that Agassi hit weakly into the net.

Enqvist also broke Agassi three times in the third set to pick up his best win since defeating then-No. 2 Pete Sampras in the 2000 quarterfinals at Indian Wells.

"He got the early break in each set, and I just think that a guy like him, when he's feeling the momentum, he starts hitting it bigger and hitting it closer to the line," said Agassi, a four-time Scottsdale champion (1993, 1994, 1998, 2002). "He stepped up and I didn't raise my game to answer."

 

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