INDIAN WELLS, Calif. - Andy Roddick took a methodical victory over Fernando Verdasco, and Tommy Haas defeated Andre Agassi in third-round matches Monday in the Pacific Life Open. Haas, who already has won two titles this year, fought back from a 5-4 deficit in the first set to break Agassi's serve in the 10th game on his way to a 7-5, 6-2 win. The 35-year-old Agassi, kept on the move by the 27-year-old German's well-placed groundstrokes, made a staggering 34 unforced errors to 15 by Haas. "It's frustrating. It's been a long time since I've felt good on the court," Agassi said. "It's just getting tiring, that's all." He said Haas' career may have a big upside. "I think Tommy has a lot more that he should achieve," Agassi said. "I don't think he's come close to what his game's capable of. He does a lot of things well out there. "If he puts it together at the right time, some pretty special things could happen for him." Roddick was solid if not spectacular in his 6-3, 6-4 victory over Verdasco, with only four aces  and two double-faults  against the left-hander from Spain. But Roddick made only 17 unforced errors to Verdasco's 29. When he closed out the match with a service winner, Roddick hopped, pumped both arms then, grinning broadly, hit the ball high into the upper deck as the fans applauded. "He's always tough. We've had some real battles before," Roddick said. "So to get through comfortably, it's always nice." Roddick has struggled some this year and is looking for his first title. "I feel like I've played well two matches in a row here against pretty good players, and I haven't done that probably since last fall," said Roddick, who defeated Jose Acasuso in straight sets the previous day. On the women's side, Justine Henin-Hardenne rolled to a 6-0, 6-0 victory over Aiko Nakamura in their third-round match. Henin-Hardenne, forced by a stomach problem to quit her match against Amelie Mauresmo in the Australian Open final, has won the only other two events she's played this year, at Sydney and Dubai. She also took the Indian Wells title two years ago, the last time she had played in the desert tournament. Elena Dementieva also advanced, defeating 19-year-old Sania Mirza of India 5-7, 6-4, 6-4. Lleyton Hewitt, the tournament champion in 2002 and 2003 and beaten by Roger Federer in last year's final, outlasted Ranier Schuettler 7-6 (3), 2-6, 6-4 in their second-round match. "He's a tough player, especially on this kind of court," Hewitt, from Australia, said about his German opponent. "It suits his game well. He's extremely quick around the court, moves really well. "I just had to hang out there, try and grind him down, I guess." Because of rain Friday and Saturday, Schuettler's two-set, first-round victory over Boris Pashanski stretched out over three days before he finally ended it Sunday. Also advancing were James Blake, who defeated Tommy Robredo 6-2, 7-5; David Nalbandian, who beat qualifier Julien Benneteau 6-4, 6-1; Tomas Berdych, a 6-4, 6-4 winner over Tim Henman; and Paul-Henri Mathieu, who downed Nicolas Kiefer 7-6 (5), 4-6, 6-2. -AP
GMA Brandtalk
Tracking
Archives
