Spain's Guillermo Garcia-Lopez upset top-seeded Andre Agassi in straight sets on Friday to reach the semi-finals of this 380,000-dollar ATP hardcourt tournament.
The 22-year-old Spaniard posted a 6-4, 6-2 victory over the eight-time Grand Slam champion, who was competing for the first time in 2006 after skipping the Australian Open nursing a nagging ankle injury.
Agassi, 35, had barely reached the round of eight, needing to save a pair of match points in three-set victory over Paraguay's Ramon Delgado on Wednesday. He said he was a step slow on Friday.
"He was outhitting me," Agassi said. "I wasn't reacting well to the ball. He hits a heavy ball and a big forehand return."
Agassi said it would take more matches to get sharp.
"I haven't gotten my game together," he said. "It will take matches and time to work that out. I can't realistically come here and expect to feel that comfortable on the court. It was a great experience to play here. I hope it makes sense to come back."
Garcia-Lopez, who never has even reached an ATP Tour final, will meet third-seeded Belgian Xavier Malisse, who beat sixth-seeded German Florian Mayer 6-7 (4/7), 6-2, 6-3.
In the bottom half of the draw, eighth-seeded American Vincent Spadea defeated South Korean Hyung-Taik Lee 6-3, 6-3 to reach the semi-finals here for a third straight year.
{{/usCountry}}In the bottom half of the draw, eighth-seeded American Vincent Spadea defeated South Korean Hyung-Taik Lee 6-3, 6-3 to reach the semi-finals here for a third straight year.
{{/usCountry}}Lee, who won only one point on Spadea's serve in the first set, had beaten Spadea in two previous matches.
The 31-year-old Spadea will play fourth-seeded German Tommy Haas, a 6-3, 6-2 winner over seventh-seeded Gilles Muller of Luxembourg.
Haas arrived in Florida fresh from a fourth-round showing at the Australian Open, where he pushed eventual champion Roger Federer to five sets before bowing out.