AUSTRALIAN OPEN Agassi advances, injuries mount

Sebastien Grosjean injured his groin and defaulted during the second set.
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) -- The busiest people at the Australian Open today were the doctors and trainers.
Defending champion Andre Agassi moved a step closer to his ninth Grand Slam title when ninth-seeded Sebastien Grosjean came to the net in the second set, shook his hand and said he couldn't go on after injuring a groin muscle in their quarterfinal match.
Standing in Agassi's way in the semifinals will be the winner of a late match between top-ranked Andy Roddick and former No. 1 Marat Safin, who is coming back from an injury-plagued 2003.
Amelie Mauresmo, the fourth-seeded woman, didn't even start, defaulting in tears with a torn back muscle and handing No. 32 Fabiola Zuluaga of Colombia a free pass to the semifinals.
Zuluaga will face top-ranked Justine Henin-Hardenne, who ousted fifth-seeded Lindsay Davenport 7-5, 6-3. Neither was in top form, but Henin-Hardenne managed to win the big points, as she did last year when she beat Davenport 9-7 in the third set.
The 33-year-old Agassi noticed Grosjean, a semifinalist in 2001, was going for low-percentage shots late in the first set but didn't know the Frenchman was injured.
Agassi took the first four games, won the set 6-2 and pulled ahead 2-0 in the second when Grosjean, who was out eight weeks last year with the same injury, defaulted.
"That's not a good way for anything to end," Agassi told the crowd. "It's been a great week for Sebastien, it's unfortunate. He'd appreciate everyone's understanding."
Injury problems
The women's draw was depleted by injury with the pre-tournament withdrawals of defending champion Serena Williams, Jennifer Capriati, Mary Pierce and Monica Seles.
Other players still in the two-week Grand Slam are far from healthy.
Second-seeded Kim Clijsters, scheduled to play her quarterfinal against Anastasia Myskina on Wednesday, has been nursing a sprained ankle. Carlos Moya was forced to pull out before his first match with a similar injury.
Third-seeded Juan Carlos Ferrero, the French Open champion, needed treatment on his injured leg twice in his fourth-round victory Monday. Henin-Hardenne and Davenport both had thighs taped.
Agassi extended his win streak to 26 matches at the Australian Open, spanning championships in 2000, '01 and last season. He sat out 2002 after wrist surgery.
As he has throughout the tournament, Agassi came out sharp, not allowing Grosjean a game point until he already was down 4-0. Mixing up his speed and spins, Agassi had the Frenchman sprinting from sideline, hitting the paint with regularity.
"In some ways, you're thinking one or two steps ahead," said Agassi, one of the game's best strategists. "I try to make sure that each shot has a purpose."
Pulling away
Henin-Hardenne, the French and U.S. Open champion, lost the opening four games before winning seven of the next eight to take the first set in 52 minutes.
"That wasn't easy. Lindsay was playing unbelievable at the start. I wasn't ready for that," Henin-Hardenne said. "I played every point as best I could. I came back in the set and that gives me confidence."
Davenport lost only one point in her first two service games, but ended with 33 unforced errors as her forehand failed in the long rallies. The loss left Lisa Raymond as the only American woman remaining in singles.
Davenport was broken while serving for the first set at 5-3 and had triple set-point against Henin-Hardenne's serve in the next game but missed consecutive backhand returns and then hit a forehand that floated long.
"You've got to be able to pull some of those out, and I just wasn't able to," Davenport said.
Sad finish
Mauresmo, injured while stretching for a backhand volley Sunday against Alicia Molik, withdrew 90 minutes before her match was scheduled to start. A 10-minute practice session ended in tears.
"I wanted to try this morning and have a little hit and see how I felt," she said. "When I hit some shots, I can feel really strong pain. The other thing is it could get worse if I play. The best thing to do is to rest."
Her coach, Loic Courteau, said Mauresmo insisted on preparing for the match despite scans showing a slight muscle tear in her back.
"As soon as she went up to the net to volley, it was like a knife thrust in her back," he said.