PARIS -- Gustavo Kuerten's dazzling clay-court game turned flat at the French Open today, and he was ousted in straight sets in the quarterfinals by Andrei Medvedev.
Medvedev, the 100th-ranked player who knocked out Pete Sampras in the second round, won 7-5, 6-4, 6-4 in another big upset.As Kuerten's girlfriend sobbed in the stands, Medvedev told French television he feels like "the happiest man in the world right now."
"I couldn't feel my way," Kuerten said. "It was a big match and a great moment, but I couldn't do it."
The eighth-seeded Brazilian said Medvedev "didn't give me too much opportunity to get my pace."
Throughout the match, Kuerten gestured and talked to himself, trying to get himself moving but to no avail. The stadium was less than two-thirds full -- rare for a major match -- because of a transit strike paralyzing Paris.
Medvedev served well and made devastating use of his drop shot to extend his excellent run at Roland Garros.
Kuerten, the 1997 French Open champion, seemed ready for a shot at the title again. But he couldn't find his game, hitting balls out and into the net.
He has been having the best clay-court season of anyone, but against Medvedev he faced a vastly improved player who grew up on clay.
Medvedev ranked as high as No. 4 five years ago. He then tumbled to No. 100 after being sidelined with a wrist injury.
In the semifinals, he faces the winner of today's other quarterfinal -- Alex Corretja vs. Fernando Meligeni.
Afterward, Medvedev spoke of his renewed relationship with German player Anke Huber.
"I feel peace on the court because I know there's someone there for me," he said. "You can say I fell back in love twice, once with tennis, once with a girl."
On Tuesday, the biggest cheers were for Steffi Graf and Andre Agassi.
For Graf, it has been a satisfying week in Paris. In the fourth round, she beat teen sensation Anna Kournikova, the face on tennis posters everywhere.
The 17-year-old Russian clearly had the shots to beat Graf, or most players. But Graf still was able to pull out the victory in a tiebreaker.
Graf rallied to beat No. 2 Lindsay Davenport 6-1, 6-7 (5-7), 6-3 on Tuesday, leaving Davenport muttering about how much she hates the slippery, dusty clay.
Graf's answer was succinct: "On clay, experience helps."
Remind Agassi of his age, and he bristles. Not because he's ashamed, but because he thinks far too much has been made of it.
"I don't mind the question if I'm past my prime based on my eagerness or my motivation or my focus, or even based on my game," he said Tuesday after his 6-2, 6-2, 6-0 victory over 140th-ranked Marcelo Filippini of Uruguay. "I just don't understand any perspective based on my being 29 years old."
But it's possible Agassi's age -- and accompanying seasoning -- has everything to do with his success this year at Roland Garros.
Now, Agassi is two victories away from what he calls "the greatest thing I could achieve" -- completing a career Grand Slam by capturing the one title that has eluded him, and also Pete Sampras, Jimmy Connors and John McEnroe.
In the semis, Agassi faces Dominik Hrbaty, a 21-year-old Slovakian who beat him in the Lipton Championships in March and has already knocked off Yevgeny Kafelnikov and Marcelo Rios.