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By Jeff Agase

DAILY BRUIN STAFF

jagase@media.ucla.edu

Here’s a math question you’ll never see on the SAT: Player A has 52 singles titles, seven Grand Slams and a gold medal. Player C has one title. Who wins the match? Put that abacus away – it’s no trick question. There isn’t even a Player B to worry about. Andre Agassi (Player A) quickly disposed of the younger, visibly more inexperienced Kenneth Carlsen (Player C) 6-3, 6-1 July 23 in the first round of the Mercedes-Benz Cup at Los Angeles Tennis Center. Playing for the first time since losing in the second round of Wimbledon a month ago, the second-seeded Agassi needed just 62 minutes to eject unseeded and 100th-ranked Carlsen. “I wasn’t going out expecting to play really well,” Agassi said. “Coming off that last performance, I needed to get a few things out of my system.” Carlsen was the unfortunate guinea pig for Agassi’s cleansing. After breaking the world’s No. 5 player in the third game of the match, Carlsen saw his booming serve broken four times by one of tennis’ best all-time returners. Indeed, all Agassi had to do was position his racket to merely block back one of Carlsen’s 120 mile per hour serves and the big Dane lost any advantage. “The thing is, if you serve big, you have less time to get in to the net,” Agassi said. “I was making him volley a lot, and he started to get anxious out there.” Agassi frustrated the significantly less-tenured Carlsen by mixing flat shots with high, looping topspins. He altered tempo with an ease and confidence that might have made Rush drummer Neil Peart jealous. “I knew that he didn’t like the ball high,” Agassi said. “It’s very rare that I think about an opponent's weakness before going into the match, but in this one I came with a few things I think he struggled with.” Agassi seemed satisfied with his first outing since the early-round disappointment at Wimbledon, and will take on fellow American Robby Ginepri in the Round of 16. When asked if he was difficult to be around for the last month, Agassi showed he hadn’t lost a step in dealing with the media, either. “I’m never easy to be around,” he said, laughing.