31 July 2004	Saturday	13 Jamadi-us-Saani 1425

SAN DIEGO, July 30: French Open champion Anastasia Myskina led four Russians into the quarterfinals of the $1.3 million Acura Classic on Thursday.

Third seed Myskina demolished American Chanda Rubin 6-1, 6-2 and was joined in the last eight by fellow countrywomen Maria Sharapova, Elena Dementieva and Vera Zvonareva.

Wimbledon champion Sharapova crushed Argentina's Gisela Dulko 6-0, 6-1 while fifth seed Dementieva eased past compatriot Elena Likhovtseva 6-2, 7-6. Number 12 seed Zvonareva put out Russian teenager Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-2, 6-3.

Zvonareva earned a rematch of last week's quarterfinal in nearby Carson against top seed Serena Williams, who raced past Russia's Elena Bovina 6-4, 6-2. Myskina and Sharapova were meeting on Friday for the third time this year but it will be the first occasion they have played each other since winning grand slam titles.

Myskina beat the red-hot 17-year-old in the Australian Open and at Indian Wells. Dementieva will take on unseeded American Amy Frazier, who defeated Australian Alicia Molik 6-3, 6-4.

Third seed Lindsay Davenport overwhelmed Conchita Martinez of Spain 6-1, 6-2 in 46 minutes. The American, who is coming off back-to-back title triumphs at nearby Stanford and Carson, now meets ninth seed Ai Sugiyama of Japan.

THURSDAY'S RESULTS (PREFIX NUMBER DENOTES SEEDING):

THIRD ROUND: 1-Serena Williams (US) beat Elena Bovina (Russia) 6-4, 6-2; 5-Elena Dementieva (Russia) beat Elena Likhovtseva (Russia) 6-2, 7-6 (7-2); 12-Vera Zvonareva (Russia) beat 7-Svetlana Kuznetsova (Russia) 6-2, 6-3; 3-Anastasia Myskina (Russia) beat Chanda Rubin (US) 6-1, 6-2; 9-Ai Sugiyama (Japan) beat Marion Bartoli (France) 6-3, 6-2; Amy Frazier (US) beat Alicia Molik (Australia) 6-3, 6-4; 4-Lindsay Davenport (US) beat Conchita Martinez (Spain) 6-1, 6-2; 6-Maria Sharapova (Russia) beat Gisela Dulko (Argentina) 6-0, 6-1.

AGASSI BEATEN

TORONTO: World number one Roger Federer and second seed Andy Roddick recorded two victories apiece on a busy day at the $2.5 million Toronto Masters on Thursday to advance to the quarterfinal stages.

But it was a short day for crowd favourite Andre Agassi, the 10th seed falling 6-3, 6-3 to Austrian Jurgen Melzer in a second-round encounter in the morning. Fifth seed Tim Henman of Britain joined Agassi as a second-round casualty when he lost to unseeded Brazilian Gustavo Kuerten 7-5, 6-4.

Melzer called it the "best day of my life" and he kept up his surge by ousting Chile's Fernando Gonzalez 6-3, 6-3 in the third round. Federer began his day with a 7-5, 6-1 second-round win over Swede Robin Soderling before squeezing past Max Mirnyi of Belarus 7-6, 7-6 in the afternoon.

The Swiss player will next face France's Fabrice Santoro, who put out ninth seed Lleyton Hewitt of Australia 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the third round. Federer has now won all but one of his last 29 matches.

Roddick, the defending champion, had a tougher-than-expected time against Spain's Feliciano Lopez in his second-round match, progressing 6-3, 7-6. But the American found it a lot easier in the third round, romping past Argentina's Juan Ignacio Chela 6-1, 6-4.

Roddick now meets Czech qualifier Jan Hernych, who outlasted Henman's conqueror Kuerten 5-7, 7-6, 6-4. Fourth seed Carlos Moya of Spain was the victim of a third-round upset, going down 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 to Germany's Nicolas Kiefer.

THURSDAY'S RESULTS:

THIRD ROUND: Joachim Johansson (Sweden) beat Cyril Saulnier (France) 7-6 (7-2), 4-6, 7-6 (7-4); 2-Andy Roddick (US) beat Juan Ignacio Chela (Argentina) 6-1, 6-4; Thomas Johansson (Sweden) beat Luis Horna (Peru) 3-6, 7-5, 6-1; Jan Hernych (Czech Republic) beat Gustavo Kuerten (Brazil) 5-7, 7-6 (8-6), 6-4; Fabrice Santoro (France) beat 9-Lleyton Hewitt (Australia) 2-6, 6-3, 6-4; Nicolas Kiefer (Germany) beat 4-Carlos Moya (Spain) 6-4, 2-6, 6-4; Jurgen Melzer (Austria) beat Fernando Gonzalez (Chile) 6-3, 6-3; 1-Roger Federer (Switzerland) beat Max Mirnyi (Belarus) 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (7-4).

SECOND ROUND: Horna beat Frederic Niemeyer (Canada) 6-7 (5-7), 7-5, 6-3; Thomas Johansson beat Igor Andreev (Russia) 7-6 (7-4), 6-1; Saulnier beat Mikhail Youzhny (Russia) 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7-0); Joachim Johansson beat Gregory Carraz (France) 7-6 (7-4), 6-7 (3-7), 7-6 (7-4); Chela beat Tommy Robredo (Spain) 6-4, 6-0; Kuerten beat 5-Tim Henman (Britain) 7-5, 6-4; Roddick beat Feliciano Lopez (Spain) 6-3, 7-6 (7-5); Santoro beat Ivan Ljubicic (Croatia) 6-4, 7-6 (7-4); Gonzalez beat Vincent Spadea (US) 7-5, 6-4; Hewitt beat Jiri Novak (Czech Republic) 6-2, 6-1; Melzer beat 10-Andre Agassi (US) 6-3, 6-3; Mirnyi beat 14-Paradorn Srichaphan (Thailand) 3-6, 6-1, 6-4; Federer beat Robin Soderling (Sweden) 7-5, 6-1; Moya beat Alex Bogomolov Jr (US) 6-4, 6-3; Kiefer beat David Ferrer (Spain) 6-3, 6-1; Hernych beat Todd Reid (Australia) 6-3, 6-3. -Reuters