MASON, Ohio -- Defending champion Carlos Moya lost his first-round match at the Cincinnati Masters on Monday, extending his deep slump heading into the U.S. Open.
The fourth-seeded Moya let two break points slip away in the final game, and France's Fabrice Santoro closed out a 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory in the tournament's opening match on center court.
Moya has three straight first-round losses since he won in Croatia last month. Santoro was ranked No. 61 in the world and was only 9-16 heading into the match.
"I have no confidence right now," Moya said. "When you have no confidence, you don't know what to do."
The $2.45 million tournament lost its top draw when Andre Agassi withdrew Saturday, saying he wanted to pace himself heading into the U.S. Open.
Shortly after the defending champion was knocked out Monday, sentimental favorite Michael Chang also made a first-round exit. Chang, who plans to retire after the U.S. Open, lost to qualifier Hicham Arazi 4-6, 7-6 (7), 6-0.
Tournament officials honored Chang on center court after Fernando Gonzalez beat Brian Vahaly 7-5, 6-2 in the first evening match. Chang received a collage of photos from his two Cincinnati tournament titles and two second-place finishes.
"Cincinnati has been such a great place for me," Chang told the crowd. "I've been received so warmly, I'm actually thinking of running for office here in Cincinnati."
Other seeded losers included No. 12 Jiri Novak, No. 15 Tommy Robredo, No. 16 Martin Verkerk and No. 17 Felix Mantilla, who took Agassi's draw.
Agassi was scheduled to play Thomas Enqvist, the 2000 tournament champion, in the first round. Mantilla replaced Agassi and lost 6-3, 7-6 (5).
Santoro pulled off the biggest upset by winning five straight games for a 5-1 lead in the third set. Moya cut it to 5-4 and had a break point in the next game, but Santoro saved it with a backhand volley. He then closed it out with his only ace of the set.
"Yeah, it's a bad loss," Moya said. "You know, lately I've lost a few first-round matches and I'm not full of confidence."
Chang, 31, is a two-time champion in Cincinnati and a crowd favorite with his gritty style. He decided to play the tournament one more time because of how he's been received by the fans.
"A lot of times, they're able to give you a little extra Adrenalin," Chang said. "I can recall many times when I was down in matches and the crowd got behind me and I was able to pull out a great win here."
Fans were behind him again, holding up a "Thanks For The Memories" banner and chanting "Let's go Chang" as he won the first set and got to match point in a second-set tiebreaker.
Arazi saved the point by hitting a backhand at Chang's legs as he charged the net. Chang, who pumped his fists after points, lost all of his emotion after Arazi pulled out the tiebreaker, then broke his serve to open the final set.
Chang wanted to win a few matches heading into his final U.S. Open, which begins Aug. 25. He was the youngest player -- 15 years, 6 months -- to win a main draw match at the Open in 1987.
"It's a little bittersweet, but I'm excited about playing the Open," Chang said. "I started my career there as an amateur in 1987. It's a pretty fitting place to finish up."
Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
= Sporting News Radio Pass