By TOM A. MCFERSON Special to the Daily Press
Andre Agassi took the first step towards regaining his form with an easy 6-1, 6-0 win over unseeded Jean-Rene Lisnard in the first round of the Mercedes- Benz Cup on Tuesday night.
Playing for the first time since losing his opening match at the French Open in May, Agassi was able to settle down quickly and overcome a few pre-match jitters.
“I was expecting the nerves, which I did have, but nerves go away quickly when you get up two breaks immediately, which I did,” he said.
Agassi will play Kevin Kim in the second round, scheduled for Thursday evening.
Three-time Los Angeles champion and eight-time Grand Slam king, Agassi is the No. 1 seed at the Mercedes-Benz Cup. The tournament continues through July 31 at the Los Angeles Tennis Center- UCLA Severely hampered by a sciatic nerve problem in his back and leg, Agassi has been forced to sit on the sidelines since May.
“It’s been a difficult eight weeks because the process of getting better was slower than anticipated,” Agassi said. “It was pretty bad after Paris.”
Feeling good physically isn’t the only positive change this week for the tennis superstar. Agassi, who has been a Nike mainstay for almost his entire career, announced his newly-inked deal with clothing and shoe manufacturer Adidas.
The tournament has been hit with a rash of last-minute player withdrawals, most importantly American Andy Roddick, who is out nursing a tender knee. Other player pull-outs include Taylor Dent (sick); Mardy Fish (wrist); Greg Rusedski (neck); and 2004 finalist Nicolas Kiefer (sick).
Defending champion Tommy Haas of Germany is seeded fourth and is looking forward to the possibility of a repeat performance this year.
“Just coming out here trying to defend my title is obviously very satisfying for me,” Haas said. Haas was scheduled to play his second round match Wednesday evening against Xavier Malisse of Belgium.
Wild cards were extended to James Blake, Cecil Mamiit and Paul Goldstein. Mamiit earned his wild card by winning Friday’s All-American Shootout.
The Mercedes-Benz Cup presented by Countrywide features a 32-player singles draw and a 16-team doubles competition. Entering its 79th year, the landmark Southern California tournament is the longest running annual professional sporting event in Los Angeles, and offers total player compensation of more than $1 million.
Daily tickets are available. To purchase tickets, call (310) 825-2101 or 877 LA TENNIS. Tickets can also be purchased in advance at Ticketmaster and at the UCLA Central Ticket Office.
For information, call (310) 824-1010, or visit online at www.mercedes-ben-zcup.com.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on July 28, 2005. Read the original PDF.