Agassi beat Xavier Malisse 6-4, 7-5 at Queen's Club on Friday to reach the semifinals of the grass-court Wimbledon warmup.
The victory - coupled with Lleyton Hewitt's 6-3, 6-4 loss to Sebastian Grosjean - means Agassi will move a spot to No.1 in next week's rankings. Hewitt will slip to No.2.
"I wasn't aware of that," Agassi said. "It feels amazing to accomplish it at this stage of my career, but I'd rather be No.1 in my match tomorrow. One at a time."
Fellow American Andy Roddick is up next. Roddick beat Taylor Dent 6-3, 7-6 (7-3).
Agassi is in line for the No.1 seed at Wimbledon, which begins June23. Seeds will be announced Monday. In April, Agassi, 33, became the oldest man to be ranked No.1. But he fell from the top spot the next week after losing to David Ferrer in the first round of the Italian Open.
In another quarterfinal, seventh-seeded Tim Henman topped Anthony Dupuis 6-1, 6-4.
Hewitt had won 18 straight matches at Queen's Club, and his last loss here came to Pete Sampras in the semifinals in 1999.
DFS CLASSIC: Sixteen-year-old Maria Sharapova beat top-seeded Elena Dementieva 6-2, 6-7 (4-7), 6-2 to reach the semifinals in Birmingham, England.
GRAND PRIX: Karolina Sprem upset second-seeded Vera Zvonareva 3-6, 6-4, 7-5 to advance to the final in Vienna, Austria. She faces Paola Suarez, a 3-6, 6-2, 6-4 winner over Anca Barna.
GERRY WEBER OPEN: Top-seeded Roger Federer needed 80 minutes to top Younes El Aynaoui 7-5, 7-6 (7-3) and advance to the semifinals in Halle, Germany. Up next for Federer is Mikhail Youhzny, who upset No.3 seed Jiri Novak 6-4, 6-4.
HORSES: Frankel seeks more glory
Trainer Bobby Frankel is positioned for another big day one week after winning the Belmont Stakes with Empire Maker. Frankel will saddle starters in three of four stakes for the $1.35-million Stephen Foster Super today at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. The main event is the 11/8-mile Grade I $750,000 Handicap for 3-year-olds and older. Frankel entered Aldebaran, winner of the Churchill Downs Handicap on Derby day and the Metropolitan Mile on May26. Jerry Bailey, who rode Empire Maker in the Derby and Belmont, will ride Frankel's entries.
RIDER KILLED: A Canadian equestrian rider with hopes of competing in the 2004 Olympics died after being kicked in the head. Amy Dundas, 30, was trying to settle a horse into its stall on her family's farm in British Columbia when she was struck by a hoof on Thursday.
LAWSUIT: Libel suit reinstated
The West Virginia Supreme Court reinstated a defamation lawsuit filed against the Charleston Gazette by a former high school basketball player over a 1999 sports article and column. The 3-2 opinion said a Hancock County Circuit judge wrongly concluded Quincy Wilson, now a 21-year-old running back for West Virginia University, was a public figure when he dismissed the lawsuit.
The article and column referred to an allegation that a 17-year-old Wilson exposed himself in public when his team, Weir High, beat East Bank at the state championship tournament in Charleston. Wilson's lawyers allege the Gazette falsely reported that "some" fans complained, though it could identify only one fan. The lawsuit targets the column's use of the allegation to "decry the lack of sportsmanship in high school athletes."
CYCLING: Armstrong okay after fall
Lance Armstrong fell from his bike during a mountain descent but retained the overall lead in the Dauphine Libere. The four-time Tour de France champion was 9 miles into the 119-mile fifth stage from Morzine to Chambery, France, when he swerved to avoid a hole in the road and fell. He finished the stage with rips on his shorts and a bandage on his right arm. He was eighth, 56 seconds behind stage winner Laurent Lefevre (4:39:22). Armstrong leads Spaniard Iban Mayo by 1:15 in the overall standings.
ET CETERA
BOXING: Tim Austin, a 1992 Olympic bronze medalist who went on to win the IBF bantamweight title, was arrested on a rape charge, Cincinnati police said. Austin, 32, was released on $5,000 bond. According to an affidavit filed by Springfield Township police detective Patrick Kemper, Austin twice engaged in sexual intercourse with a 16-year-old girl while she was sleeping at the home of a friend May18. Austin denies he assaulted the girl, his attorney Kenneth Lawson said.
SUNSHINE STATE GAMES: Tallahassee will host the Games, an Olympic-style sports festival presented by the FloridaSports Foundation, next year (June16-20).
