Nicolas Kiefer/Getty Images

Exciting Third Round Action in Day Four Feature Five of the Top Eight Seeds

August 11, 2005 - No. 4 seed and three-time champion Andre Agassi will face last year's semifinalist Nicolas Kiefer in the third round on Thursday. Kiefer, who has reached four quarterfinals this year ( Indianapolis, Indian Wells, Adelaide, Dubai), will be looking to overcome Agassi for the first time on his career. The German is 0-5 against Agassi but two of the previous three meetings on hard courts have been decided in three sets. This is their first meeting since May 2002 in Rome where Agassi won 6-3, 6-2.

Agassi will be looking to reach his ninth ATP quarterfinal of the season and his fourth in an ATP Masters Series event this season (Indian Wells, Miami, Rome). Agassi will also be looking to win his 30 th match of the season (29-9). His 581 hard court wins ranks him on top for the most wins on this surface among active players. On the season the American is 23-5 on hard courts and against German players he has won 18 of the last 20 since 2000.

Kiefer, who reached a career-high No. 4 in January 2000, compiled his best pro season in 1999 when he finished a year-end best No. 6 and qualified for the Tennis Masters Cup (formerly ATP Tour World Championship in Hannover where he lost in the semifinals to eventual champion Pete Sampras).

Top seed Rafael Nadal takes on unseeded Frenchman Sebastien Grosjean for the second time this season. The 19-year-old Spaniard won the previous meeting 6-4 3-6 6-0 6-3 in the fourth round of Roland Garros en route to his first career Grand Slam crown. Nadal enters the third round with a 12-match winning streak and a 61-8 match record (12-4 on hard courts). Grosjean, who defeated French No. 1 Richard Gasquet on Wednesday night, comes in with a 24-16 match record on the season.

Unseeded Greg Rusedski will be looking to advance to the quarterfinals for the first time in eight appearances at the Rogers Masters on Thursday. Rusedski is now 6-7 here but has never moved past the third round. The British No. 2 is having a solid summer circuit with his 15 th career ATP title in Newport (d. Spadea), a semifinal in Indianapolis (l. Dent) and third round in Washington and here.

Rusedski will face Croatia's Mario Ancic for the first time in the third round. Ancic, who claimed his first career ATP title in ‘s-Hertogenbosch (d. Llodra) on June 19 th , is 33-17 on the season. He also reached the final in Scottsdale (l. Arthurs) and the Round of 16 at Wimbledon. He is 16-8 on hard courts this season and currently is in 17 th position in the INDESIT ATP 2005 Race. This is Ancic's second appearance at the Rogers Masters, having lost in the first round in his debut two years ago to Jiri Novak.

On the Court National Bank, No. 6 seed Gaston Gaudio of Argentina will face No. 11 Tommy Robredo of Spain for a spot in the quarterfinals. Gaudio will be looking for his 50 th match win of the season (49-12) while Robredo is aiming for his 30 th victory (29-15). Gaudio is putting together his most consistent season, having won a career-best five ATP clay court titles in six finals. Robredo defeated Marat Safin in the fourth round before falling to Nikolay Davydenko in five sets in his second quarterfinal in three years. He has also reached the final in Estoril (l. Gaudio). The Spaniard's best result on hard courts so far this season is a semifinal showing in Dubai (l. Ljubicic). Unseeded Frenchman Paul-Henri Mathieu takes on Oliver Rochus for the first time for a spot in the quarterfinals. Mathieu, who had an impressive first round win over 2003 champion and No. 5 ranked Andy Roddick, is looking for his third ATP quarterfinal appearance of the season (his first in an ATP Masters Series). Rochus had solid results thus far this season on hard courts. The 5'5” Belgian started the year reaching the semifinals in Adelaide (l. J. Johansson) and followed with a final in Auckland (l. Gonzalez). He holds a career-best 26-18 record on the season and is 29 th in the INDESIT ATP 2005 Race.

One of the most accessible tournaments

The Rogers Cup presented by National Bank is more accessible than ever thanks to the Uniprix Zone, Neighbourhood Day, and Tide & Downy Family Day.

Excellent tickets are still available for all sessions on Centre Court and for the National Bank Court. Tickets start at just $10, with the final weekend starting at just $40. For more information on this tournament or to buy tickets, call (514) 273-1515 (toll free 1-866-338-2685).

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