 Agassi was playing his first tournament of the year |
Andre Agassi slumped to a 6-4 6-2 defeat against Spaniard Guillermo Garcia-Lopez as his season got off to a slow start in Florida. The 35-year-old had saved three match points before beating Ramon Delgado at the Delray Beach Championships on Wednesday, but fell short this time.
"I haven't gotten my game together," said Agassi. "It will take matches and time to work that out."
It was Agassi's first event of 2006 after struggling with an ankle injury.
"I can't realistically come here and expect to feel that comfortable on the court. It was a great experience to play here. I hope it makes sense to come back."
And the American paid tribute to 22-year-old Garcia Lopez.
"He was outhitting me," said Agassi. "I wasn't reacting well to the ball. He hits a heavy ball and a big forehand return."
Garcia-Lopez will next take on Xavier Malisse, who beat Florian Mayer 6-7 (4-7) 6-2 6-3.
In the bottom half of the draw, eighth-seeded American Vincent Spadea beat South Korean Hyung-Taik Lee 6-3 6-3.
The 31-year-old will now play fourth seed Tommy Haas, a 6-3 6-2 winner over Gilles Muller.
MMIX
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