Back to reality for Becker, vanquisher of Agassi

NEW YORK, Sep 5 (Reuters) The Cinderella story ended yesterday for Benjamin Becker, the man who put Andre Agassi into retirement with his third-round US Open victory over the American great on Sunday.

Andy Roddick jolted the German qualifier back to reality with a 6-3 6-4 6-3 victory that lifted the American into the quarter-finals.

''You know from qualifying, from achieving my goal to be top 100, from playing Agassi and winning yesterday and, you know, getting another chance to play on center court against Roddick today, it's been a pretty, pretty amazing trip for me,'' Becker said.

Becker, a 25-year-old U.S. college champion at Baylor University in Texas, who turned his full attention to the tour last year, said it was hard for him to appreciate what he had accomplished.

''It was tough yesterday for me to enjoy it because it was tough for me to accept that I deserved to be the last guy that Agassi played,'' the slightly built German with the big serve said.

''You know, maybe I will, looking at the DVDs, looking maybe at everything else, I will later on.'' GREAT EXPERIENCE Becker said that despite the one-sided loss against 2003 champion Roddick, the Open was a great experience for him.

''I had a dream come true,'' he said.

''Obviously, I'm disappointed now. If I would be happy now, then I wouldn't be a professional tennis player.

''But then you think about the whole situation, the whole two weeks and obviously I'm going to leave on a very positive note.'' Becker was asked how long it might take him to get rid of the label of being the man who sent eighth-times grand slam winner Agassi into retirement.

''I don't know. I think it's tougher to get away from Boris Becker,'' said the German, who is no relation to his famous namesake but is asked the question everywhere he plays.

REUTERS DH PM0538