Kratochvil no match for Agassi

Bern's Michel Kratochvil has been beaten in straight sets (4-6, 2-6) by top seed Andre Agassi during the second round of the ATP tennis tournament in San Jose.

The 21-year-old Swiss number three made a strong start against the reigning Australian Open champion, taking a 4-1 lead in the opening set. But Agassi then pulled himself back into the match, levelling the score at 4-4 with a 166kph ace before breaking Kratochvil to go ahead.

“It felt good to get back into that set,” commented the world number four afterwards. “I couldn’t determine whether I started low or if he got off to a good start.”

The American, who was playing in his first tournament since his Australian Open triumph in January, added that it was often difficult to take on a player for the first time.

“It takes a while to figure out what shots they’re capable of making under pressure and what’s the best way to make them uncomfortable. He hit some great shots, and you always have to question whether he can do that again.”

In the second set, Agassi faced far less problems, as Kratochvil’s service game became increasingly erratic. The Swiss player managed only a 49 per cent success rate with his first serve, and won just 39 per cent of the points on his second serve.

swissinfo with agencies