Doubles wrap after double trap

Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi moved one step closer to an Olympic medal today when they strormed their way into the men8217;s doubles se...

Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi moved one step closer to an Olympic medal today when they strormed their way into the men8217;s doubles semi-finals here with an 89-minute 6-4, 6-4 win over Wayne Black and Kevin Ullyett of Zimababwe.

They meet Nicholas Keifer and Rainer Schuettler tomorrow. It doesn8217;t guarantee them a medal: should they lose in the semis, they will go to a play-off for the bronze against the other losing semi-finalists.

In the singles draw, Americans Andy Roddick and Venus Williams joined men8217;s top seed Roger Federer in the favourites8217; exodus. Men8217;s second seed Roddick and Williams, the 2000 Olympic women8217;s singles and doubles champion, both lost in third-round upsets a day after Swiss world number one Federer was beaten by a Czech teenager in the second round.

However, the top three women8217;s seeds 8212; Belgian Justine Henin-Hardenne, France8217;s Amelie Mauresmo and Russian Anastasia Myskina 8212; all advanced to the last eight.

Williams8217;s 6-4 6-4 defeat by France8217;s Mary Pierce on Court One meant the Americans have no representatives in the quarter-finals of the women8217;s singles after Chanda Rubin and Lisa Raymond also lost in the third round on Wednesday. 8216;8216;Obviously I would have liked to have done better. I just have to learn from my mistakes8217;8217;, said a jaded-looking Williams.

Martina Navratilova, old enough to be the mother of most of her team mates at 47, is now shouldering the U.S. women8217;s medal hopes with Raymond in the doubles.

U.S. Open champion Roddick lost 6-4 6-4 to talented but often erratic Chilean Fernando Gonzalez on centre court. 8216;8216;You have to tip your hat to Fernando8217;8217;, Roddick said. 8216;8216;I8217;m gutted right now. It8217;s not every day we get to play this. You can8217;t say 8216;next year8217;.8217;8217;

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His defeat left number three Carlos Moya of Spain as the only survivor from the top seven seeds in the men8217;s singles. Moya flirted with defeat himself before claiming a 4-6 7-6 6-4 victory over towering Croatian Ivo Karlovic.

Like Federer, who lost in three sets to Czech Tomas Berdych on Tuesday, the American looked out of sorts on the fast blue hardcourt and Gonzalez fully deserved one his finest career victories.

World number one Henin-Hardenne needed only 45 minutes to defeat Australia8217;s Nicole Pratt 6-1 6-0.