LOS ANGELES, July 29: Four-time champion Andre Agassi bade an emotional farewell and top seed Andy Roddick made a premature exit from the Los Angeles Open on Friday.
Agassi, who has said he will retire after the US Open starting on Aug 28, lost his quarter-final match with Chile's Fernando Gonzalez, going out 6-4, 3-6, 7-5.
Roddick, the world number 10 and highest-ranked player in the draw, was forced to pull out of the hard court event because of a muscle strain on his left side.
The 2003 US Open champion incurred the injury in his second-round match with fellow American Scott Oudsema on Thursday.
Hours before the start of his quarter-final, he consulted with his trainer Doug Spreen and new coach Jimmy Connors before deciding to withdraw from the tournament and avoid further injury.
Russian eight seed Dmitry Tursunov, who had been scheduled to meet Roddick in the last eight, gets a bye into the last four where he will take on Gonzalez.
Germany's Tommy Haas, the 2004 champion, eased through his quarter-final match with American Paul Goldstein 6-3, 6-4 and will meet either Slovakia's Dominik Hrbaty or American Robby Ginepri in the semis.
Seventh-seeded Hrbaty defeated fourth seed Ginepri 7-6, 6-2.
Friday’s results:
Quarter-finals: 7-Dominik Hrbaty (Slovakia) beat 4-Robby Ginepri (US) 7-6 (7-0), 6-2; 8-Dmitry Tursunov (Russia) beat 1-Andy Roddick (US) – walkover; 6-Tommy Haas (Germany) beat Paul Goldstein (US) 6-3, 6-4; 3-Fernando Gonzalez (Chile) beat 5-Andre Agassi (US) 6-4, 3-6, 7-5.
CLIJSTERS STRUGGLES
STANFORD: Belgian top seed Kim Clijsters overcame a mid-match slump to battle past Russia's Vera Zvonareva 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 in the quarter-finals of the Bank of the West Classic on Friday.
The defending champion moved on to face third seeded Czech Nicole Vaidisova, who overwhelmed Australia's Samantha Stosur 6-4, 6-2 to reach the last four.
In Saturday's other semi-final, second seed Patty Schnyder of Switzerland takes on French teenager Tatiana Golovin after both players recorded straight-sets victories.
In winning her 10th straight match at the event, three-times champion Clijsters was almost unplayable in the first and third sets, adeptly defending her opponent's heavy blasts while peppering the corners with pinpoint forehands.
After dropping the first set, Zvonareva, who won in Cincinnati last week, grabbed control of the match with her searing groundstrokes in the second, but lost her focus in the third set while Clijsters soared.
Schnyder defeated American Jill Craybas 6-4, 7-5 to set up her match against Golovin, who upset fourth seed Anna-Lena Groenefeld of Germany 6-4, 7-6.
Results:
Quarter-finals: 1-Kim Clijsters (Belgium) beat Vera Zvonareva (Russia) 6-2, 3-6, 6-1; 2-Patty Schnyder (Switzerland) beat Jill Craybas (US) 6-4, 7-5; 3-Nicole Vaidisova (Czech Republic) beat Samantha Stosur (Australia) 6-4, 6-2 Tatiana Golovin (France) beat 4-Anna-Lena Groenefeld (Germany) 6-4, 7-6 (7-5).—Reuters
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