Agassi, who dominated the early hardcourt

season, fell to 1-3 in the claycourt season after Frenchman Fabrice Santoro dismissed the third-seeded American, 6-3, 5-7, 6-4.

In addition to Agassi, two other top-five seeds bowed out, one day after the tournament lost top seed and defending champion Gustavo Kuerten of Brazi.

Second seed Marat Safin of Russia saw his slide continue as claycourt specialist Gaston Gaudio of Argentina ousted the reigning U.S. Open champion, 6-0, 7-6 (7-0).

Safin has lost six of his last eight matches after suffering a back injury at Dubai in March.

Fifth seed Magnus Norman, last year's French Open runner-up, dropped to 2-4 on clay after Spanish qualifier Albert Portas outdueled the Swede, 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (9-7).

Overall, the tournament has lost its top six seeds after fourth-seeded American Pete Sampras and sixth seed Yevgeny Kafelnikov of Russia made first-round exits.

Agassi, a quarterfinalist here in 1995, won the Australian Open and the first two TMS events at Indian Wells and Miami. But the 1999 French Open champion had an 11-match winning streak stopped two weeks ago by unheralded Frenchman Nicolas Thomann in his first claycourt match of the year at Atlanta.

Last week, Agassi lost to Spain's Alex Calatrava in the first round at Rome before earning his first win on clay Monday by defeating Italy's Davide Sanguinetti.

Seventh seed Lleyton Hewitt of Australia, the highest seed left in the draw, struggled into the third round with a 3-6, 6-2, 6-4 win over Fernando Vicente of Spain.

No. 8 Juan Carlos Ferrero remained the hottest player on the ATP. Ferrero, who owns an ATP-leading four titles this season, extended his winning streak to 13 matches with a 7-6 (7-5), 6-3 victory over Harel Levy of Israel. The Spaniard has won 19 of his last 21 matches, capturing claycourt tournaments in Estoril, Barcelona and Rome.

Spain's Alex Corretja, a finalist in 1996, became the fourth seeded player eliminated Wednesday as Ecuador's Nicolas Lapentti dumped the 10th seed, 6-4, 6-1.

In other seeded play, No. 12 Sebastien Grosjean of France rallied past Argentine qualifier Agustin Calleri, 3-6, 7-5, 6-2, and No. 14 Jan-Michael Gambill of the United States dispatched 1999 champion Marcelo Rios of Chile, 6-3, 6-4, for his first win on clay this year.

Former champion Albert Costa also reached the third round. The 1998 winner was leading Bohdan Ulihrach, 4-6, 6-1, 2-1, before the Czech retired with a right wrist injury.

Max Mirnyi, who stunned Kuerten on Tuesday, could not carry that momentum into the second round as Sweden's Thomas Johansson crushed the Belarussian, 6-2, 6-0.