Agassi's nice return

Fittingly in the Eternal City, Andre Agassi's enduring qualities swept him into the Rome Masters Series final, 13 years on from his only other appearance in a title decider here.

The evidence of his 7-5 6-4 semi-final victory over Jiri Novak yesterday suggests he is playing well enough to make up for the disappointment of missing championship point in that 1989 final defeat against Alberto Mancini.

'Different decade, different century, different millennium,' joked a beaming Agassi. 'It sure feels great to be back in the final, it's truly like a dream after 13 years.'

Despite being written off after a wrist injury put paid to his challenge at this year's Australian Open, the winner of all four Grand Slams looks as strong as ever. He contends that by remaining fit and healthy his longevity gives him a significant advantage. 'The mind is a big asset if everything else is feeling good,' he said.

Patience is another virtue. Agassi waited 43 minutes before breaking through against his tall Czech opponent. Eagerness ensured the first of two break points was converted in the eleventh game. A return crept over the net, Novak dinked a short ball and Agassi sprinted from behind the baseline to fashion a forehand winner.

It was symptomatic of the 32-year-old's continuing desire. His game took on added enthusiasm in the second set, shutting out Novak who has now lost four semi-finals this year. Agassi, who won the Nasdaq-100 Open in Miami last month, says he's playing better now than he was at this stage of 1999 when he won the French Open.

Martina Hingis, once a precocious darling at the pinnacle, is in premature freefall. The former world number one has been forced to make another withdrawal due to the persistent strain in her left foot, this time from next week's Italian Open in Rome where last year she was a semi-finalist, which means the loss of yet more ranking points at a crucial time.

The injury also caused Hingis to withdraw from this week's rain-interrupted German Open in Berlin, which means that tomorrow she will plunge to number seven on the WTA list, the lowest since she first cracked the top 10 at the age of only 15 nearly six years ago. It could be particularly costly because the seedings for the French Open are announced in eight days' time.

'I will meet with my doctor in the next couple of days and talk about my progress,' she said hopefully. 'I want to rest and to look ahead to Roland Garros.' Indeed Hingis would like to be able to do that optimistically, to the one Grand Slam which has eluded her, more than anything.

However, the 21-year-old has struggled ever since appearing at the start of 2002 looking slimmer than ever before but failing to convert four match points against Jennifer Capriati in the final of the Australian Open.

It denied Hingis her first Grand Slam title for three years, and she has been hurt both by this disappointment and the increased physical effort she has imposed on herself to try to improve her strength and fitness in the hope of narrowing the gap with the heavy hitters who have climbed above her.

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