After winning the first set at 7-5, it looked the match would be extended to the third set as the Indian pair were trailing 2-4 in the tie-breaker after being tied six-all in the second set.

However, Mahesh and Paes hit back in great style to win the set at 7-5. The Indian pair had lost in the semifinals last year.

World No 1 Martina Hingis of Switzerland beat 21st-ranked Iva Majoli of Croatia 7-6 (7-4) 6-0 in her second round match at the US Open. She took only 65 minutes to advance into the third round against the winner of the match between South Africa's Mariaan de Swardt and Latvia's Larisa Neiland.

Flashing the skills that could take her back to the final, fifth-seeded Venus Williams moved easily into the third round with a 6-1, 6-3 win overqualifier Anne Kremer of Luxembourg.

In other early second round matches, No 4 Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario defeated Fabiola Zuluaga of Colombia 6-3, 6-2 and No 13 Amanda Coetzer got past Raluca Sandu of Romania 6-0, 6-2. Earlier, torrential rain and strong winds wiped out the last evening's programme which included the No 1 seed Pete Sampras' second round match.

Men's No 2 Marcelo Rios and No 11 Yevgeny Kafelnikov reached the second round with straight-sets victories.

Also advancing was American favourite Michael Chang, who beat Isreali Eyal Erlich 6-1, 6-3, 6-1.

The 18-year-old Williams, playing in only her second US Open began by showing off a rapidly developing and lethal serve and volley game. With her quickness, long legs and reach Williams played a mature net game that included a deft touch on drop volleys.

Though she still mourns, Monica Seles has stopped treating tennis as a catharsis as she deals with her father's death. It is back to being simply a game, albeit a game at which she once wasthe best in the world. It was an easy game for her yesterday, as the sixth-seeded Seles reached the third round with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Joannette Kruger.

Steffi Graf and Monica Seles are on a comeback trail and both recently captured their first tournaments of the year.

After her second round win yesterday, Graf returned to the practice courts today. ``I felt I needed to -- I wanted to, needed to,'' Graf said. ``I felt this morning, when I was practicing, I wasn't playing so well and during the match it was better. So I felt, I wanted to hit some more, just move around a little more.''

``I have to be on my toes,'' the 29 year old German said of her third round match with the hard-hitting Croat, Mirjana Lucic, a 16-year-old winner over the Japanese Naoka Sawamatsu in the second round match yesterday.

``I have to move well and probably make her play a lot of points,'' Graf said.

How the seeds fared

Men's singles: 1st round: Bernd Karbacher (Ger) bt 4-Petr Korda (Cze Rep) 2-6 6-3 6-2 6-1;13-Tim Henman (GBR) bt Scott Draper (Aus) 6-3 7-6 (7-4) 7-6 (7-3); 10-Carlos Moya (Spa) bt Mariano Puerta (Arg) 6-1 7-6 (7-4) 6-7 (3-7) 4-4 (retd); 2-Marcelo Rios (Chile) bt Daniel Vacek (Czech Rep) 6-4 6-2 6-3;

Women's singles: (2nd round): 8-Steffi Graf (Ger) bt Marlene Weingartner (Ger) 6-0 6-1; 11-Patty Schnyder (Swi) bt Brie Rippner (US) 6-1 6-2; 14-Dominique van Roost (Bel) bt Magdalena Grzybowska (Pol) 6-0 6-0; Gala Leon Garcia (Spa) bt 16-Ai Sugiyama (Jap) 2-3 (retd); 3-Jana Novotna (Cze Rep) bt Amelie Cocheteux (Fra) 6-2 7-6 (7-1). 6-Monica Seles (US) bt Joannette Kruger (SA) 6-2 6-3; 9-Irina Spirlea (Rom) bt Miriam Schnitzer (Ger) 6-3 6-2; 1- Martina Hingis (Swi) bt Iva Majoli (Cro) 7-6 (7-4), 6-0; 6-Monica Seles (US) bt Joanette Kruger (SA) 6-2, 6-3

Other results

Men's singles: (1st round): Michael Chang (US) bt Eyal Erlich (Isr) 6-1 6-3 6-1; 11-Yevgeny Kafelnikov (Rus) bt Dennis van Scheppingen (Neth) 6-1 6-2 6-4 Nicolas Kiefer (Ger) bt Lionel Roux (Fra) 6-4 6-3 6-1;Francisco Clavet (Spa) bt Andrei Pavel (Rom) 6-7 (8-10) 6-4 7-5 6-2; Felix Mantilla (Spa) bt Brett Steven (NZ) 6-3 3-6 6-4 7-5; Giorgio Galimberti (Ita) bt Michael Russell (US) 7-5 6-4 3-6 6-3; Andrei Medvedev (Ukr) bt John van Lottum (Neth) 6-4 7-5 6-2; Geoff Grant (US) bt Javier Sanchez (Spa) 6-2 7-5 4-6 6-3.

Jean-Baptiste Perlant (Fra) bt Jason Stoltenberg (Aus) 1-6 7-5 6-3 6-3; Tommy Haas (Ger) bt Jordi Burillo (Spa) 6-3 7-5 6-4; Lucas Arnold (Arg) bt Kenneth Carlsen (Den) 7-6 (7-0) 6-4 4-6 6-1.

Women's singles: (2nd round): Kimberly Po (US) bt Laura Granville (US) 6-3 6-3; Mirjana Lucic (Cro) bt Naoko Sawamatsu (Jap) 4-6 6-1 6-1; Serena Williams (US) bt Pavlina Stoyanova (Bul) 6-2 6-1; Sandrine Testud (Fra) bt Kvetoslava Hrdlickova (Cze Rep) 7-6 (7-5) 6-3

Nathalie Dechy (Fra) bt Park Sung-Hee (S Kor) 6-2 6-4; Amelie Mauresmo (Fra) bt Miho Saeki (Jap) 6-4 6-1; Annie Miller (US) bt Evgenia Koulilovskaya (Rus) 6-1 4-6 6-2.