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Rain delays start of quarterfinals
Rain delayed one of the most awaited matches between the world No. 1 Roger Federer and eight-time Grand Slam winner Andre Agassi.
Rain delayed the start of play on the outdoor hardcourts at the 17.8 million dollar US Open on Wednesday.
American fifth seed Lindsay Davenport's scheduled opening quarter-final match with the only unseeded woman left in the draw, Shinobu Asagoe of Japan, was the first match affected by the rain.
In one of the most intriguing matchups of the tournament so far, men's World No. 1 Roger Federer squares off with eight-time Grand Slam winner Andre Agassi in the evening session.
Also taking the court on Wednesday are two Russian women, Svetlana Kuznetsova and Nadia Petrova. Fifth seed Tim Henman, of Britain, will try to advance to his first US Open semi-final when he battles No. 22 Dominik Hrbaty.
Top seed Federer, 23, has had four days of rest because he won in a walkover in the round of 16.
"Now I'll be a hundred percent physically, so that is an advantage," Federer said. "It will be a tough match, everybody knows that."
Federer captured the last three meetings between the two tennis giants after the 34-year-old Agassi won the the first three.
The last time they met was in the final in Indian Wells earlier this year with Federer coming out on top 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.
Federer is attempting to become the first man to win three Grand Slam titles in one year since Sweden's Mats Wilander in 1988.
This is Agassi's 19th consecutive US Open and his 12th appearance in the quarter-finals.
Agassi is seeking his ninth major title and third US Open crown after winning in 1994 and 1999.
He is one of just five men with a career Grand Slam but he hasn't made it past the semi-finals of a major in over a year and a half.
The 28-year-old Asagoe, who entered the US Open with a losing record this year, will have to improve on her 53 unforced errors in her fourth round victory over Greece's Eleni Daniilidou.
Davenport, who can take over the world No. 1 ranking with a win here, dispatched Venus Williams in straight sets in the fourth round to extend her winning streak to 21 consecutive matches.
The other women's quarter-final features two young Russians, No. 14 Petrova and No. 9 Kuznetsova.
It is the first meeting between the pair with the winner moving onto their first US Open semi-final.
Petrova stunned the tennis world with her straight sets upset over top seed Justine Henin-Hardenne in the fourth round.
