Agassi to launch farewell US Open on Monday

28 Aug, 2006

Opening night of the US Open tennis championships on Monday will feature Andre Agassi launching the final Grand Slam campaign of his stellar career, the US Tennis Association confirmed on Saturday.
Also on the slate for Monday night is a tribute to women's tennis great Billie Jean King.
A special ceremony featuring tennis champions Chris Evert, Jimmy Connors, John McEnroe and Venus Williams will see the USTA National Tennis Center renamed after King.
After that, eight-time Grand Slam champion Agassi will play his first-round match against Romanian Andrei Pavel.
Agassi, who announced in June that he will retire after the Open, is scheduled to play on opening night at the US Open for the eighth time in the past nine years.
The two-time US Open champion reached the final last year, losing to Swiss world No 1 Roger Federer.
Other players slated for action on Monday include women's second seed Justine Henin-Hardenne, who will face Italian Maria Elena Camerin in the first match on Arthur Ashe stadium court.
Former US Open champions Andy Roddick and Lindsay Davenport of the United States are also scheduled to play. Roddick, the ninth seed, faces France's Florent Serra and Davenport will face Czech Klara Zakopalova, providing the American's health permits.
Davenport retired from the final in New Haven against Henin-Hardenne on Saturday complaining of shoulder pain.

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