Four-time winner Andre Agassi is through to his sixth Australian Open semifinal after Sebastien Grosjean succumbed to a groin strain early in their last-eight match in Melbourne on Tuesday.
The 33-year-old American was ahead 6-2, 2-0 at the time of the Frenchman’s retirement and will now take on world number one Andy Roddick or unseeded Russian Marat Safin in the last four of the top half of the draw.
Ninth-seed Grosjean called for the trainer late in the first set after straining the right groin muscle in the fourth game but when he fell behind to an early break in the second set he saw no point in carrying on.
”It’s disappointing and unfortunate that a match has to end that way for the sake and health of the player and also for the spectators,” Agassi said.
”But you don’t read more into it than that. I was playing well and the match finished. I don’t find myself concerned about anything.”
It was Agassi’s 26th consecutive victory at the Australian Open and was his fourth win over the 10th-ranked Grosjean in six meetings.
It is the record for consecutive match victories at the year’s first Grand Slam tournament and Agassi has yet to lose a set since his round of 16 defeat of Frenchman Nicolas Escude at last year’s tournament, a run of eight matches.
”I would have preferred to finish the match, no question,” Agassi said. ”It’s not that I feel like I’m sort of not prepared … but starting a match is a heck of a lot different than finishing one. It’s aways nice to play a complete match.”
Grosjean said he felt pain in his leg when he played a forehand during the fourth game of the opening set.
”It was tough after that to move, so I couldn’t really move and give 100% on the court,” he said.
”It happened last year as well and I kept playing and after I [had to] stop for eight weeks. I really felt the same thing today, so that’s why I stopped.”
Agassi says he comes to Australia with a belief that he can win the Slam.
”I come here with the belief I can win. My motivation is the fact that if I play my best tennis, can I still win? I need to be able to answer that question ‘yes’.”
Agassi bolted out of the blocks breaking Grosjean’s service twice to jump to a 4-0 lead.
The American was controlling the points from the baseline with his rock-steady, two-fisted backhand with the Frenchman taking until the fifth game to get his first game on service.
Agassi brought up two set points at 15-40 in the seventh game, but Grosjean held firm and the fourth seed lost the game when his lob was out.
Grosjean called for the trainer during the changeover and took a painkiller tablet for apparent discomfort from the groin strain.
Agassi was proving relentless and stormed to two more set points on his next service before taking the opening set in 37 minutes when Grosjean found the net.
”I started noticing there late in the first set he was just pulling triggers a little bit sooner on the shots, going for more shots and I was thinking he was playing low percentage,” Agassi said of Grosjean.
Grosjean had a shocking start to the second set when he put out a forehand with the court beckoning for a winner and then double-faulted on break point.
When Agassi held serve for a 2-0 lead in the set Grosjean called him to the net and conceded defeat with the injury. — Sapa-AFP