Seeds blown asunder Down Under

8220;He played too big and too strong for me,8221; Rafter said. 8220;He never really gave me a chance.8221;

Enqvist8217;s win guarantees that Pete Sampras will remain World Number one for at least a few more weeks.

World Number three Novotna fell 6-3 6-0 to Maria Antonia Sanchez Lorenzo in an uncharacteristically docile display that handed the Spaniard by far the biggest win of her career.

8220;I8217;m still in a state of shock, it was a nightmare, a total disaster,8221; Novotna said after the match.

Briton Tim Henman,seeded sixth, was swept aside 7-6 7-5 6-3 7-5 by Swiss Marc Rosset, while women8217;s ninth seed Conchita Martinez 8212; another former Wimbledon champion 8212; was upset 7-5 6-1 by French unknown Emilie Loit.

American Chanda Rubin, a first-rounder loser last year but a semifinalist in 1996 in her best Grand Slam showing, knocked out another seed, No 15 Natasha Zvereva 7-6 7-3 4-6 6-4.

Rafter8217;s loss prevented an intriguing replay of last year8217;s US Open final against compatriot Mark Philippoussis who reached the fourth round with a relatively incident-free 3-6 6-3 6-4 6-1 defeat of unseeded Slovakian Jan Kroslak.