Tennis: Agassi handles Dent

LONDON - Former Corona del Mar High standout Taylor Dent lost to

second-seeded Andre Agassi, but outhit the international superstar in the

first set of the first round Tuesday at Wimbledon.

Agassi, the 1992 champion and last year’s runner-up, turned up the heat

to take the second set and then reeled off 10 games in a row before Dent

retired, dropping the match, 2-6, 6-3, 6-0, 4-0.

Dent, 19, won three qualifiers to advance to the main draw, knocking off

Argentina’s Hector Moretti, Czech Republic’s Petr Luxa and Germany’s Lars

Burgsmuller.

Dent, ranked 256th in the world in singles, won a CIF Southern Section

singles title in 1996 as a CdM freshman, then turned pro a year later.

Meanwhile, defending women’s champion Lindsay Davenport (Palisades Tennis

Club) also benefited from a retirement to win her first-round match, but

it was a bittersweet victory as her opponent was Corina Morariu, her

close friend and doubles partner.