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Agassi slays Ferrero to assure Rocket Roddick of year-end No.1
Houston (USA), Nov 13: US Open champion Andy Roddick clinched the ATP year-end world number one singles ranking without even lifting a racquet here yesterday at the Masters Cup.
Houston (USA), Nov 13: US Open champion Andy Roddick clinched the ATP year-end world number one singles ranking without even lifting a racquet here yesterday at the Masters Cup.
The 21-year-old American sealed the top spot when Australian Open champion Andre Agassi beat second-ranked French Open champion Juan Carlos Ferrero 2-6 6-3 6-4 in a round-robin rematch of their US Open semi-final.
The loss ended any chance the Spaniard had of reaching the semi-finals here at the season-ending showdown of the year's eight top players, giving him no hope of erasing Roddick's 46-point advantage in the ATP champions race.
"Glad I could help. I am to please," Agassi said. "Andy had number one in his hands the whole week regardless of if I beat Ferrero or not."
Roddick becomes the second-youngest year-end number one, after Australia's Lleyton Hewitt in 2001, and the sixth US player to claim year-end top honours.
"I'm incredibly honoured to finish the year as number one, but I'm probably more proud to be the sixth American ever," Roddick said in a statement.
"It's hard to reflect on what a year this has been but I'm incredibly fortunate to be playing at home in the United States. To be able to share all of this with my friends and family is better than I could have imagined."
His ascent came just two months after his first grand slam title at New York and only five months after he dropped Tarik Benhabilies as his coach in favor of Brad Gilbert, Agassi's former coach.
Bureau Report
The 21-year-old American sealed the top spot when Australian Open champion Andre Agassi beat second-ranked French Open champion Juan Carlos Ferrero 2-6 6-3 6-4 in a round-robin rematch of their US Open semi-final.
The loss ended any chance the Spaniard had of reaching the semi-finals here at the season-ending showdown of the year's eight top players, giving him no hope of erasing Roddick's 46-point advantage in the ATP champions race.
"Glad I could help. I am to please," Agassi said. "Andy had number one in his hands the whole week regardless of if I beat Ferrero or not."
Roddick becomes the second-youngest year-end number one, after Australia's Lleyton Hewitt in 2001, and the sixth US player to claim year-end top honours.
"I'm incredibly honoured to finish the year as number one, but I'm probably more proud to be the sixth American ever," Roddick said in a statement.
"It's hard to reflect on what a year this has been but I'm incredibly fortunate to be playing at home in the United States. To be able to share all of this with my friends and family is better than I could have imagined."
His ascent came just two months after his first grand slam title at New York and only five months after he dropped Tarik Benhabilies as his coach in favor of Brad Gilbert, Agassi's former coach.
Bureau Report