Nagging hip injury forces Agassi out of Paris Masters

The five-time Grand Slam champion joined Australian fifth seed Lleyton Hewitt as missing in action at the final Masters of the season.

The rest of Agassi's campaign - he is automatically qualified for the wrap-up Masters Cup in Lisbon starting November 28 - could be in doubt.

Agassi suffered the hip flexor problem early in a semi-final in Lyon Saturday against Frenchman Arnaud Clement and lasted only one set before quitting.

The 30-year-old had been undergoing intense treatment in Paris in hopes of being fit for Wednesday's opening match against compatriot Jan- Michael Gambill, himself a winner when opponent Andre Pavel quit hurt on Tuesday.

Agassi, the number 6 at the Bercy Omnisport, received a first- round bye like all seeds. Hewitt withdrew Tuesday due to a mystery allergy which has baffled doctors all over the world.

It's a complaint he has been carrying for three months. Hewitt, who lost the four-hour final in Stuttgart last month to Ferreira, said he still hopes to compete in next week's Stockholm Open - if resting this week will help his condition.

"I'm disappointed that I'm not 100 per cent coming into such big events (Paris and Lisbon). Over the next few months we look straight after the Davis Cup finals (against Spain in December) into the Australian summer."

(la/dpa)