Dazzling Agassi plays the matador in Madrid

Andre Agassi yesterday beat his second successive Spaniard to reach the semi-finals of the inaugural Masters Series event here and then found himself being asked a tricky question of what he thought about bull-fights. "I know that the man usually wins," Agassi said to general laughter. "He has horses on his side too. He always seems to have an advantage."

His skilfully veiled criticism followed a brilliant display to beat Juan Carlos Ferrero 6-3, 6-2. Everything Agassi tried worked so well that the contest hurtled spectacularly his way and Ferrero, like the bull, never had a chance. Perhaps that was what the questioner was getting at.

Perhaps what Agassi meant, though, was that the year-end world No1 spot does not yet belong to Lleyton Hewitt. He has turned the disappointment of losing to Pete Sampras in the US Open final to his advantage, returning rested and with a fresh goal in his sights, and Agassi's win yes terday cut Hewitt's lead over him to less than 100 ranking points. The American now faces Sébastien Grosjean.

Meanwhile Tim Henman's season-long grip on one of the places in the ATP year-end finals was reduced to the lightest of finger-holds by the least known player in the leading pack. Jiri Novak, with a quiet manner and a style of devious languor, produced the result Henman least wanted by winning 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 against Paradorn Srichaphan, the fastest riser on the tour.

It left Novak, Henman and Carlos Moya all with 421 ranking points but effectively means Novak climbs to sixth and Henman slips to the seventh and last qualifying place because of his elite tournament results.

· Kim Clijsters' extended winning run was finally ended by the American Lindsay Davenport in yesterday's Swisscom Challenge quarter-finals in Zurich where she was beaten 6-3, 7-6 and showed all the signs of a player reaching the end of her tether. Earlier the usually dour Conchita Martinez looked positively cheerful by her standards as she gave a lesson to the young pretender Alexandra Stevenson in their quarter-final.