Andy Roddick of the US plays a shot to France's Florent Serra during their match at the US Open tennis tournament in New York, Monday. (Reuters Photo)

NEW YORK, Aug. 29--Andre Agassi’s retirement will have to wait a little longer after the eight-times grand slam winner battled to a 6-7 7-6 7-6 6-2 victory over Romania’s Andrei Pavel in the US Open first round on Monday.
At times looking like a maestro and others like the 36-year-old he is, Agassi needed three hours and 31 minutes to clinch victory in front of an adoring capacity crowd of nearly 24,000 at the Arthur Ashe Stadium, Reuters said.
A parade of seeded players won easily on the opening day of the tournament, including number nine Andy Roddick who overwhelmed Italy’s Florent Serra 6-2 6-1 6-3 in just 75 minutes.
On the women’s side, number two seed Justine Henin-Hardenne, number four Elena Dementieva and 10th-seeded Lindsay Davenport advanced to the second round.
There were few upsets at the National Tennis Center, with the notable exception of third seed Ivan Ljubicic who was ousted by Spain’s Feliciano Lopez 6-3 6-3 6-3.
Regardless of how the unseeded Agassi fares in the tournament, his match against Pavel will surely be among the highlights of the 2006 Open.
After capturing the second-set tiebreaker 10-8 to level the match, Agassi had the momentum and looked to be well on his way to a second-round meeting with Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis.
But the 32-year-old Pavel, who had an 11-17 record in 2006 and had not played a hardcourt match since March, silenced the crowd by breaking Agassi’s serve in the opening game of the third set and racing into a 4-0 lead.
Agassi, however, refused to quit and reeled off the next five games before forcing a tiebreaker which he won 8-6.
With the raucous crowd cheering his every shot, Agassi rolled over a battle-weary Pavel in the fourth set to win his sixth match over the Romanian in seven career meetings.
Agassi, the double US Open champion who will retire after the tournament, will have some well-earned time off to prepare for the eighth-seeded Baghdatis on Thursday.
Roddick, the 2003 Open champion, served notice that he is primed for a run at another title by whipping Serra under the watchful eye of new coach Jimmy Connors.
Roddick, who rebounded from an inconsistent summer by winning the Masters Series event in Cincinnati, kept Serra off-balance by firing 10 aces and getting 70 percent of his first serves in.
Henin-Hardenne overwhelmed Italy’s Maria Elena Camerin 6-2 6-1 in 74 minutes, just two days after capturing the New Haven title in her only tournament since Wimbledon.

MADRID, Spain, Aug. 29--Champions Barcelona fought back from a goal down to earn a thrilling 3-2 win at Celta Vigo in their opening Primera Liga match of the season on Monday thanks to a late goal by substitute Eidur Gudjohnsen.
The Catalans, bidding for a third consecutive league title, looked to be suffering from the after-effects of Friday’s 3-0 mauling at the hands of Sevilla in the European Super Cup as they made a hesitant start at Balaidos, according to Reuters.
They fell behind three minutes before halftime when Celta striker Fernando Baiano stabbed home after Barca keeper Victor Valdes spilled a shot from Nene.
But Frank Rijkaard’s side dug deep at the start of the second half with quick-fire goals from Samuel Eto’o and Lionel Messi putting them 2-1 ahead.
Celta refused to wilt under the pressure, however, and equalized five minutes later through Gustavo Lopez after the Barca defense failed to deal with a free kick.
The home side were reduced to 10 men three minutes from time when midfielder Iriney was sent off for a second booking and substitute Gudjohnsen took immediate advantage to score a spectacular winner.
The Iceland striker, who joined from Chelsea in the close season, volleyed home at the second attempt after controlling a clever pass from Deco two minutes before the final whistle.

Spain's Pau Gasol (l) dunks past Lithuania's Kristof Lavrinovic during their quarterfinal game at the world basketball championships in Saitama, Monday. (Reuters Photo)

SAITAMA, Japan, Aug. 29--Sharp-shooting Spain overpowered Lithuania 89-67 to book a spot in the semifinals of the world basketball championship on Tuesday.
Memphis Grizzlies’ Pau Gasol led the way with 25 points as Spain extended their winning streak to 16 games by reaching the tournament’s last four for the first time since 1982, Reuters said.
Spain blew the game open in a dominant first quarter capped by a spectacular reverse dunk by Rudy Fernandez off an alley-oop pass from Sergio Rodriguez.
Gasol also finished with nine rebounds while Juan Carlos Navarro added 22 points for Spain, who have never won a major international title.
Darius Lavrinovic had a team-high 17 points for three-times Olympic bronze medalists Lithuania.
Spain’s best achievement to date was a silver medal at the 1984 Olympic Games. They face either Olympic champions Argentina or Turkey in Friday’s semifinals.

MADRID, Spain,
Aug. 29--Argentine midfielder Ariel Ibagaza will sign a one-year deal with his former club Real Mallorca after agreeing to leave Atletico Madrid, Reuters reported.
Mallorca said on their Web site that the 29-year-old playmaker would be presented to the media on Tuesday after undergoing a medical with the club.
Ibagaza joined Atletico from Mallorca in 2003 and signed a two-year contract extension with the club in March this year, but new coach Javier Aguirre has made it clear that the Argentine does not figure in his plans.
The pint-sized midfielder enjoyed the most successful period of his career in his first spell with the islanders between 1998 and 2003, helping them to two third-place finishes in the league and victory in the King’s Cup.
Atletico are trying to close deals to sign Portugal midfielder Maniche from Dynamo Moscow and Spain forward Jose Antonio Reyes from Arsenal before the transfer deadline expires on Thursday.

LONDON, Aug. 29--Portsmouth, who narrowly escaped relegation last season, moved up to second place in the Premier League after a 4-0 win at Middlesbrough on Monday.
Two goals from Kanu and strikes by Benjani Mwaruwari and substitute Svetoslav Todorov put Portsmouth on seven points from three games, two behind early leaders Manchester United, reported Reuters.
Kanu struck early to put Portsmouth ahead after seven minutes when he fired home from close range following a corner that eventually found its way to the Nigerian international.
Benjani put the visitors 2-0 in front with a downward header at the far post following a short corner five minutes after the break to score his second goal for the club.
Kanu added Portsmouth’s third with a fine individual goal after running from inside his own half before lifting the ball over stranded Boro goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer.
Todorov wrapped up the victory in added time with Pompey’s fourth goal after being played in by Sean Davis and lobbing Schwarzer to round off a fine night for the south coast side.
“It was a good performance. We did ever so well tonight,“ Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp told Sky Sports.
Middlesbrough, who beat champions Chelsea in their last match at the Riverside on Wednesday, are 16th with three points from three matches under new manager Gareth Southgate.

RENO, USA,
Aug. 29--Will MacKenzie let slip a three-shot lead but sank a 10-foot birdie putt at the last here Sunday to claim his first PGA Tour victory at the three million-dollar Reno-Tahoe Open.
Entering Sunday’s final round of the tied for the lead with Bob Estes, MacKenzie found himself in the same position on 18, AFP said.
Both players set up makable birdie putts with their approaches, but Estes two-putted from 15 feet for par, AFP said.
MacKenzie then seized the opportunity, draining his putt to cap a one-under-par 71 for a winning total of 20-under 268.
“I was sort of like, ’Wow, it went in,’“ said MacKenzie. “I hadn’t made any all day.“
Estes signed for an even-par 72 to finish at 19-under 268.
The win will go a long way toward making 2006 a memorable season for MacKenzie after a start that was anything but.
He came into Reno having missed more cuts (11) than he had made (10) this season, with his best finish a 23rd at the BellSouth in April.
Now MacKenzie is adding the first prize of 540,000 dollars to his career total which was 472,686 dollars entering this week.
MacKenzie birdied two of his first four holes while Estes stumbled out of the gate with a double-bogey at the first.
Estes, who had entered the third round with a one-shot lead after setting the tournament’s 36-hole scoring record, wasn’t nearly as sharp over the weekend.
Trailing by three shots after 11, Estes put some pressure on MacKenzie with consecutive birdies at 14 and 15 to pull within one shot.
After MacKenzie bogeyed 17, the two were tied once again heading to 18.
“I figured if I was there at the end, I’d win the golf tournament,“ said Estes, who claimed the last of his four wins four years ago. “But my game wasn’t really sharp enough.“
Joe Ogilvie made a run up the leaderboard, blistering the back nine and signed for a course record-tying 10-under 62.

LONDON, Aug. 29--The Formula One calendar will be trimmed to 17 races next year with Germany and Italy each losing a race, the governing body said on Tuesday.
The International Automobile Federation (FIA) said in a statement that the calendar had been approved by its World motor Sport Council, Reuters said.
While the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps returns after being cancelled this year, there were no slots for either the San Marino or European Grand Prix.
This year’s calendar had 18 races after a record 19 in 2005.

LONDON, Aug. 29--Sven-Goran Eriksson was not an ’expensive failure’ as England manager despite failing to get past the quarterfinal stage of three major tournaments, his former employers the Football Association insisted Tuesday.
Swede Eriksson’s five-year reign ended after this summer’s World Cup, when he stepped down after guiding England to the quarterfinals, AFP reported.
It was England’s third successive exit at the last-eight stage of a major tournament under Eriksson, who reportedly earned up to 5million pounds a year during his tenure.
“In qualification terms he was 100 percent in major tournaments but he himself would say three quarterfinals would not be considered the success he would have looked for,“ said FA chief executive Brian Barwick.
“He thought this time there would be every chance of success but it did not happen.
“An expensive mistake? I would not accept that notion but we were all disappointed, him included,“ Barwick told BBC Radio Five Live.
Eriksson has been succeeded by his number two, the former Middlesborough manager Steve McClaren, who has brought in another ex-England boss, Terry Venables, as his assistant.
Barwick believes bringing Venables in was a smart move and denies there are any problems relating to him leaving the England post 10 years ago.
Barwick, speaking in an interview to be broadcast in full later Tuesday, said: “I think Terry sees something extra. He will not sit back and not tell Steve, he will tell Steve.
“He is no threat to Steve as the boss--that will be a mischief rumor, not reality.
“He has great experience, he will get on the field. He is a tracksuit coach, as Steve is a tracksuit coach. It is two brains.“

RALEIGH, USA, Aug. 29--The testing of former triple Olympic champion Marion Jones’s ’B’ sample should take place this week, her lawyer said on Monday.
“It is going to be done the second half of this week,“ Howard Jacobs told Reuters in a telephone interview from his Los Angeles-area office.
Jones’s initial sample tested positive for the banned blood-boosting drug erythropoietin (EPO) at the US championships in Indianapolis in June.
If the second sample is also positive, the 30-year-old faces a two-year ban from the sport, although she can appeal to an arbitration hearing, Reuters said.
Jacobs said the second test would be conducted at the UCLA Olympic Analytical Laboratory in Los Angeles.
“The protocol is same lab (as the first test), different technician,“ he said.
He would not speculate on the results.
Jones, who won five medals at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, has repeatedly denied taking performance-enhancing substances and had never previously failed a doping test.
She had been under scrutiny by the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) in connection with the BALCO laboratory doping scandal but had never been charged with a doping offence.
Jones said in a statement last week she was shocked by the positive test and requested her second or ’B’ sample test be done as soon as possible.
Jacobs, who also represents cyclist Floyd Landis, said there were no new developments in the American rider’s case.
“I am still waiting for the (test) documents,“ Jacobs said.
Landis tested positive for the male sex hormone testosterone during this year’s Tour de France.
He has denied knowingly taking banned substances.