Second-seeded Andre Agassi, looking for his 18th masters title, edged Max Mirnyi of Belarus 7-6 (5), 6-3 Tuesday to advance to the third round of the US$3 million Madrid Masters.
The seventh-ranked American, who won here in 2002, is looking for his second masters title this season. He also won in Cincinnati.
"It was definitely a difficult match," Agassi said.
"He plays a type of game that is very difficult. It was tough to get a rhythm."
After a hard-fought first set, Agassi broke Mirnyi's strong serve to take a 4-3 lead in the second set.
Agassi will next face either Rafael Nadal of Spain or 14th-seeded Vincent Spadea of the US. Nadal easily beat Davide Sanguinetti of Italy 6-2, 6-1 earlier Tuesday.
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Seventh-seeded Venus Williams of the US rolled past Karolina Sprem of Croatia 6-2, 6-2 on Tuesday to advance to the second round of the US$1.3 million tournament.
Eighth-seeded Nadia Petrova of Russia and ninth-seeded Ai Sugiyama of Japan also advanced to the next round, as did 2002 champion and home favorite Patty Schnyder, who is seeded 10th.
The 22-year-old Petrova downed American Lisa Raymond 6-4, 6-3, while Sugiyama defeated compatriot Shinobu Asagoe 6-2, 6-3.
Andre Agassi is a bit skeptical about fashion models in skimpy outfits replacing ball boys at the Madrid Masters.
"I suppose I need some time to let it absorb," Agassi said Tuesday after his win. "I think it's important for our sport to understand its product clearly. And I'm not quite convinced it's part of our product."
Women in black tank tops and white, knee-length skirts chased errant shots and handed towels to the players. Reportedly paid US$1,100 for the week, the women are appearing in one televised match each day.
"It was difficult, to say the least, to concentrate on the ball," Agassi said. "But I suppose I had an advantage. I'm used to playing with my wife [Steffi Graf]."
Although the models have made no major errors during their first two matches, they have been seen to have some difficulty in bending down fast to pick up the balls.
"The skirts look like they're a little difficult to run in," Agassi said.
The use of the models has caused a stir in Spain, producing no shortage of both supporters and critics.
The government's Secretary for Equality, Soledad Murillo, called on tournament organizers to stop using the models, saying Tuesday it portrayed women as "merely objects of decoration and entertainment."
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