NEW YORK, Aug 28: Fifth seed Jelena Dokic’s US Open campaign ground to a halt in the second round on Wednesday when she was knocked out by Russian Elena Bovina 6-3, 6-2.

It was a lacklustre effort from Dokic, who had reached the fourth round here the last two years but came to New York this year nursing a hamstring injury.

Dokic became the highest women’s seed eliminated from this year’s US Open after committing 29 unforced errors. She lost her serve four times in the one-hour match played under cloudy skies on the Arthur Ashe stadium court.

The 19-year-old Bovina, ranked 61st in the world, advanced to the third round for the first time and will face Frenchwoman Stephanie Foretz.

Meanwhile, world number one Lleyton Hewitt and second seed Marat Safin, the past two men’s champions at Flushing Meadows, took dramatically different paths to the second round Tuesday.

Defending champion Hewitt of Australia fired 14 aces and dispatched France’s Nicolas Coutelot 6-2, 6-3, 6-3, but 2000 winner Safin of Russia battled 4 1/2 hours before outlasting Germany’s Nicolas Kiefer 6-3, 4-6, 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-4).

Safin fought back from the verge of his third first-round ouster in a Grand Slam event, following Wimbledon in 1998 and the 2000 Australian Open. When he fell behind 3-2 in the tie-breaker, Safin thought he was done.

Reigning women’s champion Venus Williams and Australian Open champion Jennifer Capriati each advanced with 6-0, 6-0, whitewashes while former world number ones Martina Hingis and Monica Seles also advanced.

Three more men’s players quit matches due to injuries, including Australia’s Mark Philippoussis, setting a Grand Slam record for first-round retirements and only one shy of the mark for an entire Slam event, set at the 1998 Australian Open.

Safin’s battle of attrition ended with Kiefer fighting agonizing leg cramps and Safin taking treatment, wheelchairs waiting just off the court in case neither man could hobble to the locker room on his own.

Safin served for the match in the ninth game of the final set but squandered it on a double fault.

Safin seized a 6-3 lead in the tie-breaker when Kiefer netted a forehand and fell to the court, cramping in pain.

Trainers had to help Kiefer rise to his feet to finish. Safin hoped he would stay down.

Philippoussis also made a heroic effort to play after injuring his left knee but was forced to quit while leading. Dutchman Sjeng Schalken advanced 6-7 (1-7), 4-6, 6-3, 5-3 when Philippoussis retired after two hours and 56 minutes after reinjuring a knee first damaged in 1999 at Wimbledon.

Williams began defensc of her title by blanking Croatian qualifier Mirjana Lubcic 6-0, 6-0, in 50 minutes.

Ninth seed Hingis won her first Grand Slam match since losing the Australian Open final to Capriati, outlasting American Marissa Irvin 6-3, 5-7, 6-4. Hingis, coming off a foot injury, was cheered on by golf-star boyfriend Sergio Garcia.

Third seed Capriati routed fellow American Bethanie Mattek 6-0, 6-0 while sixth seed Seles subdued Hungary’s Zsofia Gubacsi 6-3, 6-3.

Wednesday’s results (prefix number denotes seeding):

Women’s singles:

Second round: Elena Bovina (Russia) beat 5-Jelena Dokic (Yugoslavia) 6-3, 6-2; 13-Silvia Farina Elia (Italy) beat Els Callens (Belgium) 6-2, 6-2; Stephanie Foretz (France) beat Angelique Widjaja (Indoensia) 7-5, 6-1.

Tuesday’s remaining results

Men’s singles:

First round: 1-Lleyton Hewitt (Australia) beat Nicolas Coutelot (France) 6-2, 6-3, 6-3; 2-Marat Safin (Russia) beat Nicolas Kiefer

(Germany) 6-3, 4-6, 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-4); 7-Juan Carlos Ferrero (Spain) beat Wayne Arthurs (Australia) 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (7-2), 3-6, 7-5; 9-Carlos Moya (Spain) beat Adrian Voinea (Romania) 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 (7-4); 11-Andy Roddick (US) beat Martin Verkerk (Netherlands) 7-6 (7-2), 6-3, 6-4; Sjeng Schalken (Netherlands) beat Mark Philippoussis (Australia) 6-7 (1-7), 4-6, 6-3, 5-3 — retired; Tommy Robredo (Spain) beat Mariano Zabaleta (Argentina) 6-2, 6-7 (3-7), 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (7-5); Guilermo Coria (Argentina) beat Alexander Waske (Germany) 7-6 (7-4), 7-5, 6-2; Fernando Meligeni (Brazil) beat Agustin Calleri (Argentina) 3-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-4, 6-3; Noam Okun (Israel) beat Igor Kunitcin (Russia) 6-7 (4-7), 6-4, 6-4, 6-3; Alberto Martin (Spain) beat Michael Kratochvil (Switzerland) 5-7, 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 (8-6); Vincent Spadea (US) beat Jerome Golmard (France) 4-6, 2-6, 6-1, 6-3, 6-2; Xavier Malisse (Belgium) beat Albert Montanes (Spain) 7-5, 6-2, 6-2; Jean Rene Lisnard (France) beat Rainer Schuettler (Germany) 3-6, 6-7 (2-7), 6-4, 4-0 — retired; Alex Corretja (Spain) beat Irakli Labadze (Georgia) 6-3, 6-4, 6-2; Fernando Vicente (Spain) beat Jarko Nieminnen (Finland) 1-6, 6-3, 6-0, 6-2; Mardy Fish (US) beat Hyung-Taik Lee (South Korea) 7-6 (8-6), 5-6, 6-3, 6-3; Thomas Enqvist (Sweden) beat Mathias Boeker (US) 6-2, 6-3, 7-6 (7-3); Gaston Etlis (Argentina) beat Bjorn Rehnquist (Sweden) 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (7-3); Jurgen Melzer (Austria) beat Jack Brasington (US) 6-3, 7-5, 6-3; Gustavo Kuerten (Brazil) beat Julien Boutter (France) 3-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-1, 6-0; Ivan Ljubicic (Croatia) beat Fabrice Santoro (France) 7-6 (7-3), 6-4, 6-7 (2-7), 7-5; Raemon Sluiter (Netherlands) beat Taylor Dent (US) 3-6, 6-3, 6-0, 1-6, 6-3; Ivo Heuberger (Switzerland) beat Slimane Saoudi (France) 6-4, 2-6, 7-5, 3-6, 7-6 (7-3); Nicolas Massu (Chile) beat Nicolas Lapentti (Ecuador) 6-4, 6-3, 6-7 (8-10), 7-5.

Women’s singles

First round: 2-Venus Williams (US) beat Mirjana Lucic (Croatia) 6-0, 6-0; 3-Jennifer Capriati (US) beat Bethanie Mattek (US) 6-0, 6-0; 6-Monica Seles (US) beat Zsofia Gubacsi (Hungary) 6-3, 6-3; 9-Martina Hingis (Switzerland) beat Marissa Irvin (US) 6-3, 5-7, 6-4; 10-Amelie Mauresmo (France) beat Iveta Benesova (Czech Republic) 6-3, 6-2; 14-Chanda Rubin (US) beat Jill Craybas (US) 6-1, 6-3; 16-Magdalena Maleeva (Bulgaria) beat Kveta Hrdlickova (Czech Republic) 6-3, 3-6, 7-5; Lisa Raymond (US) beat Jennifer Hopkins (US) 6-4, 6-3; Antonella Serra Zanetti (Italy) beat Angeles Montolio (Spain) 1-6, 6-2, 6-4; Conchita Martinez (Spain) beat Marlene Weintgarner (Germany) 6-2, 6-1; Barbara Schett (Austria) beat Asa Svensson (Sweden) 6-3, 6-2; Martina Muller (Germany) beat Maret Ani (Estonia) 6-2, 6-2; Barbara Schwartz (Austria) beat Silvia Talaja (Croatia) 6-4, 4-6, 6-2; Yoon Jeong Cho (South Korea) beat Magui Serna (Spain) 6-3, 6-4; Anca Barna (Germany) beat Nadia Petrova (Russia) 6-1, 6-2; Tina Pisnik (Slovakia) beat Sandra Cacic (US) 6-2, 6-2; Paola Suarez (Argentina) beat Mary Pierce (France) 7-6 (7-3), 6-3; Martina Sucha (Slovakia) beat Andriana Gersi (Czech Republic) 6-1, 5-7, 6-0; Emilie Loit (France) beat Shinobu Asagoe (Japan) 6-4, 7-6 (9-7); Patty Schnyder (Switzerland) beat Nadia Petrova (Russia) 7-6 (8-6), 5-7, 6-2; Meghann Shaughnessy (US) beat Wynne Prakusya (Indonesia) 6-3, 6-4.—Reuters/AFP