Three former champions take centre stage

Three former champions take centre stage at the U.S. Open on Thursday when Andre Agassi, Lindsay Davenport and Justine Henin-Hardenne bid to reach the third round.

Agassi, champion in 1994 and 1999 and seeded seventh, faces Croatian Ivo Karlovic, the world number 94.

Karlovic upset Lleyton Hewitt, the then defending champion, in the first round at Wimbledon in 2003 and recently reached the quarter-finals in Washington.

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Gilles Muller, of Luxembourg, follows up his victory over fourth seed Andy Roddick with a clash against Robby Ginepri, while Guillermo Coria of Argentina, the eighth seed, faces another American, Vince Spadea.

Women's second seed Davenport, runner-up at the Australian Open and Wimbledon this year and winner at Flushing Meadows in 1998, continues her title bid against Pauline Parmentier of France.

Belgian seventh seed Justine Henin-Hardenne, the 2003 champion, plays Spaniard Maria Sanchez Lorenzo, while third seed Amelie Mauresmo of France takes on 16-year-old Sesil Karatantcheva of Bulgaria.

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