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Monday, Aug. 15, 2005 | 9:02 a.m.

Nadal stops Agassi in three sets

Neither Andre Agassi nor a quick hardcourt could stop Rafael Nadal.

The 19-year-old Spaniard won on a hardcourt for the first time, beating the 35-year-old Agassi 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 in the Rogers Cup final Sunday in Montreal.

The French Open champ's left-handed shotmaking got the better of Agassi, who was missing the lines with his winners in a baseline battle interrupted 58 minutes after the first set by rain.

It was the top-seed's third victory in a row and his ATP-tour-leading ninth tournament win of the year. His eight previous wins, including the French Open, were on slower clay courts.

"I don't want to think about it because I always want to stay the same," Nadal said of his breakthrough season. "I only want to think about next week. I'm happy I've won a grand slam, three Masters Series and five (other) tournaments, but I can't think about that now. I'll think about it at the end of the year."

Nadal, who has a 16-match winning streak, won $400,000 while Agassi pocketed $200,000.

Agassi pulled out of the Cincinnati Masters, which began today.

Perry Rogers, Agassi's agent, called Cincinnati tournament director Bruce Flory after the final to inform him that Agassi was unable to play in Cincinnati.

"He said, 'Andre does not want to start something he can't finish,' " Flory said in a release.

Agassi, currently ranked No. 9 in the world, is 32-10 this season despite being hampered by a back injury. He had a 10-match winning streak before the loss to Nadal.

"I never expected this to happen," Clijsters said. "That's why I'm enjoying every moment on the court, especially after last year. I didn't know if I would be able to play at this level again. ... Since my injury, every victory I get just means more and is a lot more special."

Clijsters is playing the best hardcourt tennis in the world right now. She improved to 26-1 on the U.S. hardcourt circuit this year, the lone loss coming last week to Shuai Peng of China in the quarterfinals at Carlsbad.

With the win, Clijsters' ranking, which fell all the way to 133 in March, will be back to No. 8 today.

-- Sun wire services