By Jeff Agase
Daily Bruin Contributor
The star-studded Mercedes-Benz Cup at UCLA’s Los Angeles Tennis
Center got a little dimmer Monday, as top seed and fan favorite
Andre Agassi was forced to withdraw from the men’s singles
draw.
The No. 2 player in the world, Agassi suffered spasms and cramps
following a car accident on July 9 in Las Vegas. Talk of
Agassi’s injury had been circulating and some feared that he
would be unable to play, but the announcement came as a surprise,
nevertheless.
"I suffered a spasm in the middle of the night that made (my
back) feel sore and stiffer than it needed to be,” Agassi
said. "This has been an incredibly disappointing start of the
summer. I love playing here in L.A. I look forward to coming
back.”
Agassi was slated to play fellow American Taylor Dent, a
19-year-old from Newport Beach who took Agassi to four sets earlier
in the month at Wimbledon. Frenchman Lionel Roux replaced Agassi at
the Tuesday match.
Fans were noticeably disappointed at Agassi’s withdrawal,
but the brunt of the disappointment was expressed by tournament
director Bob Kramer, who has seen superstars Gustavo
“˜Guga’ Kuerten and Goran Ivanisevic also pull out of
the competition.
"I received a call from Andre this morning,” Kramer said.
"He said he had back spasms and cramps during the night and
wasn’t going to be able to play. There’s a real
disappointment, but we’re going to carry on.”
And carry on they did. Only three singles matches took place
during the daytime Monday because of the layover from the
U.S.-Spain Davis Cup match over the weekend.
In the tournament’s opening match, Zimbabwe native Kevin
Ullyet defeated Haiti’s Ronald Agenor in three sets, 6-7
(7-4), 6-2, 6-4. Agenor, 35, is the oldest player since former
Bruin Jimmy Connors (40) to finish a season in the top 100.
Agenor’s seniority did not seem to impede his game, as his
first serves reached speeds over 120 mph and he played a gutsy
match in defeat, gaining the respect of both his opponent and the
opening day crowd.
No. 8 seed Arnaud Clement defeated South Africa’s Marcos
Ondruska in 1 hour, 8 minutes in straight sets of 6-3, 6-2. The
sunglasses and bandana-clad Frenchman had his way with Ondruska
throughout the contest, mercilessly running his opponent around
Stadium Court.
In the final match of the afternoon, South Africa’s Wayne
Ferreira disposed of Anthony Dupuis 6-2, 6-2, in just 64 minutes.
Ferreira, an ATP tour veteran and Berkeley resident, is an
assistant coach with the California men’s tennis team and
grabbed the No. 5 seed in the tournament.
Ferreira likes his chances in the tournament, especially with
the absence of some of the bigger names.
"It’s weaker,” Ferreira said, "but there are still a
lot of good players. (The tournament) is a good way to start the
summer off.”
The South African will most likely cross paths in the
quarterfinals with No. 4 seed Michael Chang, who Ferreira has yet
to defeat.