Andre Agassi waited through a 1 1/2-hour rain delay, then made quick work of Nikolay Davydenko 7-6 (3), 6-2 Wednesday to reach the third round of the Canada Masters.

Agassi will play his adorer next round. [Reuters]

The top-seeded Agassi is trying for his fourth title at this hard-court tuneup for the U.S. Open, which starts Aug. 25.

His next opponent will be Simon Larose of Canada, who beat Jose Acususo 7-6 (5), 1-6, 7-5.

"This is something I dreamed about when I was 12 or 13, and I watched him play when he had long hair," Larose said, referring to Agassi. "I remember saying: 'One day, I'll play against him.' Now, that day is here."

Larose, who's ranked 314th, upset three-time French Open champion Gustavo Kuerten in the first round.

Agassi beat another Canadian, Frederic Niemeyer, in his first match.

"You enjoy the competition and the challenge of it," said the oldest No. 1-ranked player in ATP Tour history. "I've played a lot of Davis Cup matches where the crowd has been very relevant and others where it hasn't been."

In other action, French Open champion Juan Carlos Ferrero defeated Younes el Aynaoui 6-3, 6-4, 2002 Wimbledon runner-up David Nalbandian ousted Tim Henman 6-4, 6-4, and Vince Spadea eliminated Arnaud Clement 6-0, 6-7 (5), 7-5.

The man who lost to Ferrero in the final at Roland Garros, Martin Verkerk, could have set up a rematch but lost to Karol Kucera  7-6 (8), 7-6 (3).

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