Sampras, Rafter plagued by injuries

INDIANAPOLIS, AUG 20: Pete Sampras and Pat Rafter, two favourites for the US Open title, are struggling with injuries with the year's fin...

INDIANAPOLIS, AUG 20: Pete Sampras and Pat Rafter, two favourites for the US Open title, are struggling with injuries with the year’s final Grand Slam little more than a week away.

World No 1 Sampras took treatment for a sore right arm but won while two-time defending US Open champion Rafter withdrew from the RCA Championships here yesterday with a shoulder injury.

Sampras took treatment in the second set of a 7-6 (7-4), 6-3 victory over qualifier Max Mirnyi in the 3rd round of the $ 870,000 event.

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World No 4 Rafter reluctantly quit the tournmament just hours after reaching the quarters 7-6 (7-5), 6-2 over Canadian Daniel Nestor.

Results (3rd round): 3-Gustavo Kuerten (Braz) bt Magnus Norman (Swe) 6-4, 7-5, Sebastien Grosjean (Fra) 6-4, 6-2 bt 6-Marcelo Rios (Chile), Nicolas Lapentti (Ita) bt Arnaud Di Pasquale (Fra) 6-4, 7-6 (7-5).

Kafelnikov, Agassi up

WASHINGTON: Yevgeny Kafelnikov and Andre Agassi advanced into the quarter-finals of the Legg Mason Classic last evening, but thirdseed Tim Henman (Britain) and fifth-seeded Alex Corretja (Spain) were toppled.

Top-seeded Kafelnikov overcame American Justin Gimelstob 7-5 6-4, and Agassi breezed past Germany’s Bjorn Phau 6-1 6-3. Fourth seed Todd Martin received a walkover after Ramon Delgado sprained his left ankle in practice and left the ground on crutches.

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Czech Jan Kroslak claimed his third victory in three meetings with Henman, taking advantage when the Briton’s serve began to unravel early in the second set.

In other matches, Fabrice Santoro (France) swept aside Russia’s Marat Safin 6-0 6-4 and sixth-seeded German Nicolas Kiefer overcame John van Lottum (Netherlands) 7-5 6-2

Seles struggles

TORONTO: Monica Seles, seeking a fifth straight Du Maurier Open title, beat 15th-seeded Elena Likhovtseva 7-6 (9-7), 6-3 to move into the quarter-finals of the $1.05 million tennis event.

Other results (3rd round): 1-Martina Hingis (Swi) bt 16-Chanda Rubin (US) 6-3, 6-1, 3-Mary Pierce (Fra) bt Anke Huber (Ger) 6-2, 7-5,5-Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario (Spa) bt Conchita Martinez (Spa) 7-6 (8-6), 6-1, 6-Amanda Coetzer (SA) bt Mirjana Lucic (Cro) 4-6, 7-6 (7-1), 6-2, 9-Barbara Schett (Austria) bt Jennifer Capriati (US) 6-3, 6-2, Anne-Gaelle Sidot (Fra) bt Ai Sugiyama (Jap) 6-4, 6-3

Delone in last 8

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NEW YORK: American Erika Delone advanced to the quarterfinals of the Bronx Classic Tennis yesterday beating Japan’s Shinoubu Asagoe 6-3, 6-4.

The victory came less than 24 hours after Delone received a wild-card entry into the US Open, which begins on Aug 30.

Top-seeded Kvetoslava Hrdlickova also advanced, beating fellow-Czech Lenka Nemeckova 4-6, 6-4, 6-3.

In men’s singles, top-seeded Oleg Ogorodov (Uzbekistan) beat Jeff Cotzee (South Africa) 7-5, 6-4.