The Associated Press

MELBOURNE, Australia - Three-time champion Andre Agassi breezed to a second-round victory over Lee Hyung-taik in the Australian Open on Wednesday, losing only one game in the match.

Lee, who became the first South Korean to win an ATP Tour title last Saturday, took the first game with three clean groundstroke winners and a miss by Agassi.

Another winner and two misses by Agassi gave Lee three break points against the second-seeded American's serve before Agassi turned the match completely around.

He answered by winning 13 straight points himself on his way to a 6-1, 6-0, 6-0 victory.

"I was seeing the ball pretty well," Agassi said. "He hits the ball so flat, he struggled controlling it early. ... Once you get up, it's a lot easier to make more shots."

Fourth-seeded Juan Carlos Ferrero, who lost to Lee in the Adidas International on Saturday, reached the third round here by beating Jean-Rene Lisnard 6-0, 6-4, 6-2.

Yevgeny Kafelnikov, besides Agassi the only former men's champion in the field, lost 6-3, 6-3, 3-6, 4-6, 6-1 to Finland's Jarkko Nieminen. Kafelnikov won the Australian in 1999 and was runner-up in 2000 but was seeded 22nd this time.

French Open champion Albert Costa, seeded eighth, advanced with a 6-4, 6-7 (9), 6-2, 6-3 victory over Australian wild-card Scott Draper.

He next plays Spain's Felix Mantilla, who ousted No. 27 Jan-Michael Gambill.

No. 12 Sebastien Grosjean, a semifinalist here in 2001, beat Karol Kucera 7-6 (2), 2-6, 6-3, 7-6 (1). Wayne Ferreira beat Michel Kratochvil 6-2, 6-2, 7-5.

On the women's side, fifth-seeded Justine Henin-Hardenne needed only 48 minutes to beat former top 10 player Anna Kournikova 6-0, 6-1.

Kournikova, coming back from an ankle injury, double faulted six times, missed most of her volley attempts and committed 29 unforced errors.

Henin-Hardenne, the Wimbledon runner-up in 2001 and a semifinalist last year, next meets No. 32 Katarina Srebotnik, a 6-1, 6-7 (4), 6-3 winner over Virginie Razzano.

After the stunning first-round loss by defending champion Jennifer Capriati, No. 13 Silvia Farina Elia of Italy became the next highest player to go out. Australian Nicole Pratt beat her 6-3, 6-2.

No. 15 Alexandra Stevenson, a 1999 Wimbledon semifinalist, lost 6-2, 6-2 to Denisa Chladkova, No. 21 Ai Sugiyama fell 6-4, 6-4 to Russian Nadia Patrova, and No. 27 Lisa Raymond lost 6-3, 6-1 to Germany's Anca Barna.

German Marlene Weingartner, who beat Capriati, reached the third round with a 3-6, 6-1, 6-2 victory over Stephanie Foretz, ending with a winning drop shot.

No. 7 Daniela Hantuchova struggled to a 7-6 (6), 7-6 (3) victory over Italy's Adriana Serra Zanetti, and No. 12 Patty Schnyder beat Spain's Marta Marrero 6-3, 6-1.

No. 23 Paola Suarez, leading 6-0, 3-0, advanced when Italy's Tathiana Garbin retired with a right shoulder strain.

South Korea was celebrating after Lee beat Ferrero on Saturday. For his match with Agassi, about two dozen Koreans loudly cheered Lee from behind a large national flag in the center court's upper deck.

"Andre took me to school," Lee said through an interpreter. "I almost felt like I was hitting against a wall," he said.

Lee's best chance to win another game came on his serve in the final set's second game, but Agassi got back to deuce with a forehand crosscourt that landed on the sideline.

He said he never felt sorry for Lee.

"I know how things can change out there, how quickly. My sign of respect is putting my head down and trying to go to work," said Agassi, a three-time Australian winner.

Henin-Hardenne said she tried to forget everything about Kournikova, a glamorous favorite of the crowds.

"I played really well in the first set," she said. "I didn't make a lot of mistakes. But it was hard to stay focused because there were not a lot of rallies.

"It was a very slow serve, and a lot of double faults. Sometimes it was amazing. I just tried to stay focused on myself."

This tournament marked the first time Kournikova, the 1997 Wimbledon semifinalist, had advanced beyond the first round in five Grand Slam events. She has fallen to 42nd in the rankings from a high of No. 8 in 2001.

"I was always on the defense," she said. "She was always a step of me. I really had no weapons against her. ... I tried to get into the match, find some kind of a weakness, but there was none."

Henin-Hardenne had won her three previous meetings against Kournikova, including a first-round match here last year.

The tournament's top-ranked man and woman advanced to the second round Tuesday, but neither had an easy time.

Serena Williams stared into the stands, shrugged, cursed and changed rackets. She stood with her hands on her hips or studied her notes.

In the next match on the center court, Lleyton Hewitt pumped a fist or two, managing to find his way out of trouble against a player ranked 155th.

Williams is seeking a fourth consecutive Grand Slam title - a "Serena Slam." Hewitt wants to become the first Australian man since Mark Edmondson in 1976 to win the tournament.

Hewitt lost his serve only once but needed 3 hours, 13 minutes to defeat Magnus Larsson 6-3, 3-6, 6-1, 6-7 (3), 6-2. The 32-year-old Swede had to qualify for the tournament.

"I thought he played incredibly well for a guy that only played a few tournaments last year," Hewitt said.

For a player who won the French Open, U.S. Open and Wimbledon - and didn't lose a set in those last two - Williams played erratically. She sprayed 55 errors in winning 3-6, 7-6 (5), 7-5 against 56th-ranked Emilie Loit of France.

Ilie says drugs rife in tennis
Australian Open results

READER POLL
Tell us what you think about the hiring of Marvin Lewis

BENGALS
Bengals pin their hopes on Lewis
Daugherty Column: Lewis a winner on two fronts
Ex-Bengals embrace new coach
Bengals players in Lewis' corner
Civil rights leaders applaud decision
New coach only first step toward change, fans say
Lewis coaching highlights
Video from WCPO

NFL
Cowboys DB charged in fatal hit-and-run
Steady QB leads Bucs to NFC title game
Eagles' defense wants more respect
Forgotten Wycheck steps up for Titans
NFL Notebook: Injury casts doubt on Bettis' future
Del Rio new candidate for Jaguars

REDS
Reds woo fans with hospitality
Ex-Reds exec joins Orioles

UC
Stifling UC specialty for Saint Louis
UC's Guidugli cleared on alcohol charge

XAVIER
Xavier 80, La Salle 47
Xavier has recovered from Chalmers' injury

COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Toledo 61, Miami 51
Kentucky 74, Vanderbilt 52
Michigan, Ohio St. awaken at right time
Summitt gets 800th victory

AUSTRALIAN OPEN
Agassi good, Anna awful in Australia
Ilie says drugs rife in tennis
Australian Open results

HIGH SCHOOLS
LeBron toys with controversy, scores 50
LeBron plays at UD Feb. 16
Withrow wins 10th straight
Ohio boys: Patzwald rallies Anderson
Ohio Girls: Middletown tops Sycamore
Ohio boys basketball polls
Ky. Boys: St. Henry upends CovCath
No.1 NCC girls top Boone
Ky. Girls: Late shot lifts Holmes
Tuesday's high school results
Today's high school schedule
Boys swimming honor roll
Girls swimming honor roll

LOCAL SPORTS
Austin to defend title Feb.15
Sports on TV-Radio