MELBOURNE, Australia -- Andre Agassi executed precision serves and a near-perfect game plan Tuesday in overwhelming Sebastien Grosjean 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 to breeze into the semifinals of the Australian Open.

	Despite getting a break with the scorching weather, Sebastian Grosjean had no answer for red-hot Andre Agassi.

Agassi, a three-time winner in Melbourne, didn't serve at faster than 117 mph in his rout of Grosjean, but he was more clinical in advancing to the last four of a Grand Slam for the 23rd time.

Agassi continued his stress-free run at Melbourne Park, where he hasn't lost a match since 1999 and has dropped just one set -- against Nicolas Escude in the third round -- in this tournament.

He said the timing of the Australian Open, in the heat of the Australian summer, worked in his favor.

"It helps that it's January," he said. "I think a lot of players take a break at the end (of the year). That's where I learned to prepare and come here ready."

The 32-year-old American will meet South Africa's Wayne Ferreira in the semifinals. Ferreira defeated fourth-seeded Juan Carlos Ferrero of Spain 7-6 (4), 7-6 (5), 6-1 early Tuesday.

	Tuesday's highlights
	Weather: Sunny, high of 75. Attendance: 19,873 (day). Stat of the day: 125 mph -- Venus Williams' serve against Daniela Hantuchova, her fastest since she clocked 127 mph at Zurich in 1998, the fastest recorded in women's tennis. Quote of the day: "She always wins. The problem is I can't always keep my eyes on the ball." -- Andre Agassi on playing with wife and former No. 1 player Steffi Graf

Agassi worked Grosjean around the court and increased the tempo at the decisive moments.

In the eighth game of the second set, Agassi trailed 30-0 on Grosjean's serve. He reeled off consecutive backhand winners and forced back-to-back errors to clinch the set.

Coming off a five-set win over Felix Mantilla when he rallied from two sets down, Grosjean had played 3½ hours longer in his previous matches than Agassi.

Grosjean, a semifinalist here in 2001, couldn't match the consistency, timing or intensity of the seven-time Grand Slam champion.

Agassi got 65 percent of his first serves into play and won almost 80 percent of those points. He only had 14 errors to 40 by Grosjean and converted six of his 18 breakpoint chances, although that figure was distorted when the Frenchman saved eight break points in a 15-minute game to tie at 1-all in the third set.

"He never dropped his level. I lost against a great Agassi today," Grosjean said.

The pair had been 2-2 in head-to-heads, although Agassi also beat Grosjean in the final of the Kooyong exhibition tournament 10 days earlier. The last two times Agassi won the Kooyong event -- in 2000 and 2001 -- he also won the Australian Open. An injury kept him out last year.

Grosjean got only 47 percent of his first serves into play, which compounded his problems.

"It was really tough because I had no serve," Grojean said. "When you're up against the best returner of serve in the world, you're in trouble."

Ferreira, playing in his 49th consecutive Grand Slam, advanced to his first Grand Slam semifinal since the 1992 Australian Open. He set up his second match point with a forehand winner and won with an inside-out forehand.

Ferrero, runner-up at the last French Open, struggled with his forehand and couldn't combat the relentless groundstrokes of his 31-year-old opponent.

Ferreira put only 53 percent of his first serves into play, but had 46 winners to 30 by Ferrero.

"I played so well from the back and hit my backhand so well, so that helped me out from my bad serving," he said.

Ferrero said he lost his confidence after squandering breaks in the first two sets and losing both in tiebreakers.

"Losing the first two sets 7-6, 7-6, it's very tough to come back," he said. "Tennis is like this."

If Agassi gets past Ferreira and then wins a fourth title Down Under, the victory spur plans for the next Grand Slam -- a comeback by wife Steffi Graf at the French Open.

Agassi wants her to play mixed doubles with him in Paris if he wins at Melbourne Park. The 33-year-old Graf retired in July 1999, weeks after winning at Roland Garros for her 22nd Grand Slam singles title.

In the fourth round Monday, No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt's hope of becoming the first Australian men's champion at the event since 1976 vanished under a barrage of aces by Younes El Aynaoui.

El Aynaoui, a Moroccan seeded 18th, allowed Hewitt just three break points -- and zero breaks of serve -- in the 6-7 (4), 7-6 (4), 7-6 (5), 6-4 upset.

Andy Roddick will face El Aynaoui in the quarterfinals. Roddick lost the first two sets against Russian Davis Cup hero Mikhail Youzhny before pulling out a 6-7 (4), 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-2 victory.

Roddick won't be joined in the quarterfinals by Davis Cup teammate James Blake, who lost to Rainer Schuettler 6-3, 6-4, 1-6, 6-3. Schuettler's quarterfinal opponent will be 10th-seeded David Nalbandian. The Wimbledon finalist ousted No. 6 Roger Federer 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 1-6, 6-3.

Information from The Associated Press and Reuters was used in this report.