Agassi Pulls out After Tame Loss

[Ryan]

Agassi pulls out after tame loss

Third seed Andre Agassi pulled out of the Masters Cup with an ankle ligament injury after losing 6-4 6-2 to Russia's Nikolay Davydenko in Shanghai.

The American, 35, became the latest withdrawal following Spain's Rafael Nadal an hour earlier and has been replaced by Chile's Fernando Gonzalez.

He said he had sprained his left ankle playing racquetball three weeks ago.

Agassi said: "There's no chance for me to play again. It's dangerous and risky for my future, an unfortunate setback."

Agassi struggled with his returns against Davydenko and had his serve broken three times by the Russian.

The American squandered three break points of his own in the sixth game of the second set as Davydenko cruised to victory.

The two latest injuries are a major setback for the season-ending Masters Cup, which is supposed to feature the top eight players of the year.

American Andy Roddick and Australian Open winner Marat Safin withdrew before the tournament because of injuries.

And Australia's Lleyton Hewitt, ranked fourth, opted to remain in Sydney with his wife, the actress Rebecca Cartwright, who is expecting the couple's first child within two weeks.