MIAMI, March 24: Three-time champion Pete Sampras survived a second-round scare to emerge with a three-set victory over Finland’s Jarkko Nieminen on an action-packed Saturday at the men’s and women’s tennis tournament here.

Sampras defeated Nieminen 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 to close a day on which the programme was swelled with matches postponed by Friday’s rain.

The American made 44 unforced errors that contributed to his loss of the first set, which he had led 3-1.

Nieminen, who was dominated by Sampras in three sets in their only previous meeting at the Australian Open in January, this time pressured the American with his speed around the court and his powerful passing shots.

Sampras, a 13-time Grand Slam champion seeking his first title since Wimbledon 2000, next faces Chilean qualifier Fernando Gonzalez.

A possible match against Russian sixth seed Marat Safin is also on his horizon, after Safin defeated defeated Australian Mark Philippoussis 7-6 (7-4), 6-1.

Aussie top seed Lleyton Hewitt, the reigning US Open champion, pulled off a 7-6 (7-3), 7-5 victory over Thailand’s Paradorn Srichaphan.

He set up a third-round meeting with American Jan-Michael Gambill, the man who defeated him in the semifinals here last year.

Women’s world number one and top seed Jennifer Capriati, boosted by being offered a Ferrari by her clothing sponsor, raced through the opening seven games as she thrashed Greek Eleni Daniilidou 6-0, 6-3 despite dropping serve three times in the second set.

Capriati will next meet Russia’s Anastasia Myskina.

Second seed Venus Williams, who downed Capriati in a three-set thriller in last year’s final here, stayed on course to reprise that match with a 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 victory Danish qualifier Eva Dyrberg.

While Hewitt’s inconsistencies might have been put down to too many matches, Williams blamed her slow start on too few.

Fourth seed Kim Clijsters of Belgium and No. 5 Monica Seles of the United States also reached the third round. Clijsters beat France’s Stephanie Foretz 6-2, 6-3 and Seles downed Spanish veteran Conchita Martinez 5-7, 6-4, 6-3.

Saturday’s results (prefix number denotes seeding):