Roddick, Agassi find form in Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES, July 27: Top seed Andy Roddick, watched by his new coach Jimmy Connors, unleashed nine aces in a 6-4 6-4 win over South African Rik de Voest in the Los Angeles Open first round.

Former champions Andre Agassi and Tommy Haas also won their second-round matches in three sets but Roddick was the main attraction in his first appearance on court since announcing his tie-up with Connors.

He broke his opponent's serve in the seventh game of the first set and the opening game of the second yesterday.

''My serve felt good,'' the American former world number one told reporters. ''Any time you don't get broken it's a successful match. I came close (to being broken) in the last game but I managed to wriggle out of it.'' Roddick, the 2003 U.S. Open champion and runner-up at Wimbledon in 2004 and 2005, conceded he still had a long way to go to achieve the goals he had set for himself.

''I'm feeling a lot better with the way I'm hitting the ball and with my level of intensity and focus on the court,'' the 23-year-old said.

''But I don't think I'm halfway there yet. There's still a long way to go.'' Roddick has not won a title this year and dropped out of the top 10 in the rankings this month for the first time since 2002.

Four-times winner Agassi, who plans to retire after next month's U.S. Open, came from a set down to beat Swiss qualifier George Bastl 6-7 6-2 6-1 in the day's final match.

GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY

The eight-times grand slam champion wasted a golden opportunity to take the first set after breaking Bastl's serve to lead 5-4 but then raised his game several notches.

''As the match went on, I picked up my level and I'm feeling good about the way I'm moving,'' said defending champion Agassi, who fired down 18 aces and won nine games in a row before sealing victory.

''I felt myself playing at a much better level than I have for several months, probably since last year's U.S. Open.'' Third seed Fernando Gonzalez of Chile overcame initial nerves to knock out Russian Marat Safin 6-4 6-2 in an earlier second-round encounter at the University of California Los Angeles courts.

Gonzalez won three of eight break points to set up his third consecutive victory against the double grand slam champion, having also beaten him at the French Open and Wimbledon.

''I was a little bit nervous at the start of the match because he's a very dangerous guy who hits the ball really hard,'' the Chilean said.

''But my serve got better and better during the match and I had to play really good tennis to beat him.'' Safin, who has struggled for form this season following a protracted knee injury, was disappointed with his performance after a promising first-round win over American Mardy Fish.

''I played quite well yesterday but I guess it's going to take me some time to get back from the injury,'' said the Russian, who has not won a singles title since last year's Australian Open.

In other second-round matches, American Paul Goldstein beat Russia's Igor Kunitsyn 6-4 6-4 and 2004 champion Haas of Germany finished in style to beat Chile's Paul Capdeville 6-3 4-6 6-1.

REUTERS