By Dustin Dow
Enquirer staff writer

MASON - Most of the Americans are out, and No. 1-ranked Roger Federer is long gone, but the main attractions are still playing in the Western & Southern Financial Group Masters.

MASTERS COVERAGE

• Quarterfinals feature a top-ranked reunion • Photos of Thursday's action • 25 matches to remember • Bounce may be back for Agassi's play • Hewitt, Safin renew focus • Roddick on the march • Spin doctor Santoro starting to gain confidence • UC to honor Talbert, Trabert • Masters results, schedules

Andre Agassi and Andy Roddick both won their round of 16 matches Thursday at the Lindner Family Tennis Center. The elder statesman and the new torchbearer of American tennis are now one round away from facing each other in the semifinals.

Agassi, 34, reached the quarterfinals with a quick win against Juan Ignacio Chela in the round of 16. He'll play 2002 champion Carlos Moya at 7:30 tonight on Center Court. Roddick's match against Tommy Haas will follow. Roddick, 21, blitzed Paradorn Srichaphan in two sets Thursday.

"I think there is some room for improvement," Roddick said, "but you don't get much out of today as far as gauging where you're at."

Agassi and Roddick won their matches in a combined one hour, 55 minutes.

"Tonight I felt real good," Agassi said. "It was the first match in a long time where I felt that comfortable with my game."

At No. 2, Roddick is the highest-ranked player still in the field, but the quarterfinals are stacked with five former top-ranked players. Matches between Agassi and Moya, and Marat Safin and Lleyton Hewitt, feature face-offs of players once ranked No. 1. Haas, a former No. 2 player, plays Roddick, who finished last year in the top spot.

Five of the eight players in the quarterfinals are seeded. There are two Americans, two Spaniards, a Frenchman, a German, an Australian and a Russian.

The American total in the quarterfinals is tied for the second fewest in the tournament's history and is the fifth time in the last eight years that only two U.S. players have gotten past the round of 16.

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E-mail ddow@enquirer.com