World number one Yevgeny Kafelnikov ended a run of six consecutive first round defeats yesterday by beating Chris Woodruff to join showman Andre Agassi in the Italian Open second round.
The Russian, who withdrew from last week's German Open with a viral infection, had to come from 4-0 down in the opening set in Rome for a 7-6 (7/1), 5-7, 6-4, victory.
Kafelnikov deserved credit for coming through after weeks of misery, but the amount of errors in his patchy performance suggests that the top seed may not last long in the 2.45 million tournament.
The display made a sharp contrast with the one turned on by Agassi, who cruised to a classy 63, 6-4 victory over Frenchman Jerome Golmard before bowing to the crowd.
Agassi, who hasn't played since winning his 40th career title in Hong Kong last month after suffering a shoulder injury, was in sparkling form, mixing baseline power with unfailing accuracy.
"I feel that I'm moving well, I'm hitting the ball well," said Agassi. "And it's a big step forward for me to win the first match today.
"It's very important to do well in the clay court season because it makes it easier on other surfaces. It's been a difficult surface for me, but I'm ready for the challenge."
Agassi was clearly pleased to have got the mixture right first time.
"For me, if I'm moving well and striking the ball with conviction, it's a good sign," he said. "If I'm not being tentative, but not taking too many risks. It's a delicate balance, between aggression and control."
Agassi took the first set on a double-fault and the second went with serve until the last game, when Golmard crashed a two-fisted backhand into the net and then did the same with a forehand to concede the match.
Agassi removed his baseball cap and bowed several times to the crowd's applause, and left the court.
Spain's Alex Corretja, a winner here in 1997, also made a winning start, beating Italy's wildcard entrant Diego Nargiso 6-1, 7-6 (7/2).
But Switzerland's Marc Rosset, the 1992 Olympic champion, retired with hip trouble from his game with Frenchman Arnaud Clement.
And American Todd Martin, seeded 11th and due to play Italy's Marco Meneschincheri today , withdrew from the tournament with a shoulder injury, and is replaced by Argentinian Franco Squillari.
