Agassi Crashes As Henman Comeback Falters Again

Andre Agassi, having just put another line in the history books by becoming the oldest player to claim the world No1 ranking, was cut off at the knees by a 21-year-old Spaniard, David Ferrer, in the first round of the Italian Open here yesterday.

Tim Henman, struggling desperately to get himself off his knees after shoulder surgery which has drained his confidence to the dregs, also lost in the first round, although his 6-2, 6-1 defeat by Argentina's Guillermo Coria was altogether more expected. Even when the British No1 has been playing well - and last year he arrived in Italy having reached the semi-finals in Monte Carlo - he has struggled on the red clay of the Foro Italico.

A little alarmingly, on this occasion Henman admitted that he ran out of energy after only four games of the first set. "I was absolutely exhausted, and I've got no explanation why," he said. Call it tension and pressure.

Agassi, who won the title here last year to huge acclaim and popularity, appeared to be in no trouble whatsoever, taking the first set 6-0 against Ferrer, who entered the tournament having lost six first-round matches in succession.

The turnaround was quite extraordinary, although there were telltale signs in the second set that Agassi was becoming agitated, and by the third he was missing routine shots with a profligacy that beggared belief.

"I took my foot off the gas. The match was in my control from the start, but then my confidence came down," said Agassi, who before this match had lost only once this year, winning the Australian Open and the titles at San Jose, Key Biscayne and Houston in the process.

His career has never been predictable, but this 0-6, 7-6, 6-4 defeat came out of Rome's clear blue skies like a rogue thunderbolt.

"Andre has been my idol since I was 12 and I never thought I would ever be on the same court as him," said Ferrer, who like so many of the young Spaniards and Argentinians, including Coria, is fantastically quick about the court.

His ability to keep returning the ball clearly played on Agassi's mind as the American tried, unsuccessfully, to force the pace.

"I was playing too dangerously, trying to play too deep and hitting the ball above my shoulder," said Agassi.

The 33-year-old will now lose the No1 spot to Australia's Lleyton Hewitt, who is not playing here, when the rankings are updated next Monday.

Agassi muttered a few words about possibly adjusting his schedule before the French Open, which begins on May 26, and he may now play in Hamburg next week. But he has always been a law unto himself when it comes to preparation for Roland Garros and Wimbledon.

Henman clearly has no Parisian ambitions, but his lack of success since his comeback in February seems certain to damage his chances of doing well at Wimbledon, where he has reached the semi-finals in four of the past five years.

Time is simply running out, and this defeat against Coria was his sixth in eight matches this year.

Coria, the beaten finalist in Monte Carlo last month, is a considerable talent but he pointed out that this victory was "much easier than I had expected".

Henman was poor, and admitted it. There was no other option. His serve lacked venom and his forehand was horribly wayward. The right shoulder appears to be holding up satisfactorily; it is the rest of his game which refuses to knit.

"There's no question that it's a struggle at the moment," he said. Too true.