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MIAMI, March 26: Lleyton Hewitt and Marat Safin survived third round scares at the Nasdaq-100 Open ATP Masters on Monday but Pete Sampras’s nightmare continued as the 13-time Grand Slam winner crashed out 7-6 (7-1) 6-1 to Chilean qualifier Fernando Gonzalez.
Sampras’s recent good form deserted him on the Miami hardcourts, the defeat extending his agonising title drought to 24 tournaments.
RESULTS (x denotes seed):
MEN
Third round: Marat Safin (Rus x6) bt Luis Horna (Per) 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7/3); Roger Federer (Swi x12) bt Albert Portas (Spa) 6-4, 6-1; James Blake (USA) bt Guillermo Canas (Arg x15) 6-4, 6-3; Fernando Gonzalez (Chi) bt Pete Sampras (USA x11) 7-6 (7/1), 6-1; Andrei Pavel (Rom) bt Tommy Haas (Ger x4) 7-6 (8/6), 6-7 (5/7), 7-6 (8/6); Tim Henman (Gbr x5) bt Felix Mantilla (Spa) 7-5, 6-4; Franco Squillari (Arg) bt Thomas Enqvist (Swe) 6-1, 7-6 (7/5); Lleyton Hewitt (Aus x1) bt Jan-Michael Gambill (USA) 3-6, 6-4, 7-5.
WOMEN
Fourth round: Kim Clijsters (Bel x4) bt Cara Black (Zim) 6-4, 6-2; Martina Hingis (Swi x3) bt Alexandra Stevenson (USA) 6-2, 6-0; Elena Dementieva (Rus x12) bt Anne Kremer (Lux) 1-6, 7-5, 7-6 (16/14); Venus Williams (USA x2) bt Amanda Coetzer (Rsa x14) 6-2, 6-0; Serena Williams (USA x8) bt Marissa Irvin (USA) 6-1, 6-4; Monica Seles (USA x5) bt Silvia Farina Elia (Ita x9) 7-6 (7/4), 6-4; Tatiana Panova (Rus) bt Arantxa Sanchez (Spa x11) 6-1, 7-6 (10/8); Jennifer Capriati (USA x1) bt Iroda Tulyaganova (Uzb x15) 7-5, 5-7, 6-1.—Reuters/AFP
