Agassi`s and Moya`s Run at the French Ended

Agassi was beaten on Tuesday by Guillermo Coria, who idolized Agassi when he was a child.

In the quarterfinals of the French Open held yesterday at Roland Garros in Paris, second-seeded Andre Agassi got defeated by Guillermo Coria. By this, Agassi failed three times in the quarterfinals.

Agassi also failed to win the season second championship after the Australian Open. It was his career 999th match since his debut in 1986.

The 175cm Coria won the match thanks to better ground strokes, better tactics and superior speed. He took the lead in every set and showed plenty of poise at the finish. Coria later said, "I worshipped him since I was a kid. I can`t believe this. I beat him. I may not feel this joy again, even when I win the championship itself."

Coria had a bitter history. In December of 2001, he was found to have taken a prohibited drug and was banned from playing. It was harsh for his one-time mistake. He could not play for seven months, and had to watch his standing removed from the ranking list. He also suffered financially. Now, he has beaten Agassi and moved to the semifinals.

In a matchup of two first-time Grand Slam semifinalists Friday, Coria will play unseeded Martin Verkerk. The 6-foot-3 Dutchman hit 27 aces to upset 1998 champion Carlos Moya 6-3, 6-4, 5-7, 4-6, 8-6.

In the women`s semifinals, Justine Henin-Hardenne next faces Williams, and Kim Clijsters will next play unseeded Nadia Petrova. Williams dominated the last local player Amelie Mauresmo in the tournament, beating Mauresmo 6-1, 6-2 Tuesday to reach the French Open semifinals.

Jong-Seok Kim kjs0123@donga.com