Tennis: In a sport where youth is always celebrated, feted and occasionally spoiled, what an unusual triumph that two players scheduled to play on Centre Court Philippe Chatrier yesterday afternoon had a combined age of 63.

Andre Agassi, at 33, and 30-year-old Moroccan Younes El Aynaoui brought a rare vein of maturity to Roland Garros on a fiercely hot summer's day.

One advanced, one departed. Who would you put your house on?

Once again in Paris people scrambled from their seats up the sides of the steeply terraced stadium to escape the furnace heat rising up from the baked terracotta clay, although the weak breeze lapping over the top at about four stories high offered little respite.

On court, Agassi's opponent, Xavier Malisse, would have been acutely aware of the conditions and may well have stepped on to the dirt with a significant degree of trepidation given his erratic history where long, hot, gruelling duels are concerned.

The fragile but wonderfully talented young Belgian, who spent each end change with a towel full of ice wrapped around his neck and shoulders, has had a history of fatigue.

He retired from his third round match against David Nalbandian at this year's Australian Open, in part because of tiredness, having played a four setter in the previous round.

The pony-tailed Wimbledon semi-finalist of last year also received treatment immediately after his second-round match here. He was so spent afterwards he had "two or three cold showers, very cold showers," a massage, rest and did not, or could not, speak to anybody for 45 minutes.

In that context, it could not have been any comfort to him that Agassi's idea of fun last round was to give his opponent Mario Ancic two sets, then climb slowly back into contention and win it in over three hours, the fifth time in his career he's come from 2-0 down.

It was also the American second seed's 50th match at Roland Garros.

As it was, the elegant Malisse was not unduly delayed as Agassi's whipping ground strokes found their range from set one as he broke for 6-4 despite a cluster of break points against him in the eighth game.

From there, the contest remained tight, but playing with more assurance than in his previous two matches - and remember Agassi came into the competition having played no prior tournaments on clay - the American tidily finished it in just over two hours, 7-5 7-5.

"Three sets is a lot better than five and it could have gone to five today," said Agassi. "Malisse is an incredibly talented player. He has a lot of different shots, moves really well and he's able to use your pace and he's able to come up with his own pace.

"He can play defence and offence. He is a lot better than his ranking. He can do a lot better than he's doing. That's for sure.

"I came into this tournament needing some matches and getting through the first week is a big thing for me. I can only improve from here, I guess."

Improve he will have to do when he faces the big forehand of Zabaleta next round. Then, not only will he carry with him his own hopes to win another Grand Slam and add to this year's Australian Open, but also the hopes of American tennis on clay.

He is the only survivor from a raiding party of 13 US players and, as Pete Sampras has said he will never again play the French Open, Agassi is largely soldiering alone. "Clay court tennis has never been a strength of ours," he admitted.

Whether Malisse got enough out of Agassi over the three sets to drag him up to the level he needs to get through next week is a concern. But, as Agassi confirmed, the balls were coming off his racquet and landing where he expected them to land.

"Well, I hope there is more to come," he replied when asked whether he was at a high enough standard to win. "That's why I keep playing."