Andre Agassi drew on his big match temperament to carry him into the last 16 of the Australian Open in Melbourne as Venus Williams led a clutch of top seeds into the fourth round.
Big names encounter little opposition
Andre Agassi drew on his big match temperament to carry him into the last 16 of the Australian Open in Melbourne as Venus Williams led a clutch of top seeds into the fourth round.
Agassi, one of the toughest competitors on the ATP Tour, withstood a strong challenge from France's Nicolas Escude to earn a gritty 6-2, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory in 2hr 48min.
Escude gave the three-time Australian Open champion his fiercest examination so far, forging some 20 break point opportunities - but only managing to convert four.
Agassi, who now faces unseeded Argentinian baseliner Guillermo Coria on Sunday, said he was relieved to have got past Escude, the 29th seed.
"That was a dangerous one for me and it feels great to get through it," said Agassi. "He plays risky, he plays his shots, but he's also going to miss a few as well. I played the big points as best I could.
"This was one match that I needed to step up and I did."
In the women's draw, second seed Venus Williams and former world number one Lindsay Davenport advanced safely after overcoming low-ranked opponents.
Williams beat German world number 69 Anca Barna 6-1, 6-4 and ninth seed Davenport downing Russia's Tatiana Panova 6-2, 6-1.
Williams will now meet Nicole Pratt on Sunday after the Australian kept up the good showing by the host nation's women players to knock out Argentinian 23rd seed Paola Suarez 7-5, 6-4.
Sunday's fourth round pits Davenport against Henin-Hardenne for the first time since they met in Zurich last October, when the Belgian accused the American of gamesmanship in faking an injury on her way to defeat.
Eighth-seed Daniela Hantuchova, whose looks have earned her unwanted comparisons with Anna Kournikova, was a comfortable winner 6-4, 6-3 winner over Samantha Stosur of Australia.
Hantuchova made a name for herself at last season's Australian Open when she took Venus Williams to three sets in the third round before losing 3-6, 6-0, 6-4 and is due to meet the second seed in the quarter-finals.
In the men's draw, Escude's compatriot Sebastien Grosjean booked his place in the next round with a straight sets defeat of Ecuador's Nicolas Lapentti. Grosjean, seeded 12, beat his 24th seeded opponent 6-1, 6-3, 6-3.
Spanish eighth seed Albert Costa was upset by compatriot Felix Mantilla, losing 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 6-1, 6-3.