Bhupathi and Croat Mirjana Lucic, however, bowed out of the US Open mixed doubles losing in the quarter-finals here last night.

The Bhupathi-Mirjana pair went down fighting to America's Serena Williams and Max Mirnyi of Belarus 6-3, 5-7, 5-7.

Uzma Khan of India who paired with Zuzana Kucova of Slovakia for the doubles crown at the US Open in the girls section lost in the first round to Jackuelyn Rosen of Israel and Milagros Sequerra of Venezuela in straight sets-- 0-6, 0-6.

DEFENDING CHAMPS ADVANCE

: Pat Rafter and Martina Hingis kept their US Open title defences on course last night with impressive victories.

World number one and top seed Hingis avenged her French Open defeat by Monica Seles, stopping the US veteran in straight sets to reach the semifinals.

Hingis, who struggled past unheralded Nathalie Dechy on Sunday to earn a quarterfinal berth, showed marked improvement in her 72-minute 6-4, 6-4 victory over Seles, who had won their previous two meetings.

Rafter, seeded third, completed an impressive 6-3, 6-4, 4-6, 6-1 victory over Wimbledon finalist Goran Ivanisevic to reach the quarterfinals. Rafter, who had been leading 6-3, 3-2 when play was stopped on Monday, outaced, outserved and outplayed his opponent to such an extent that the bearded Croatian was left muttering: `When I play like this I cannot win-- even if i play junior girls.'

The Australian is now three matches away from making former World number one John McEnroe eat his words after the American described him as `a one Slam wonder.' he now pitches his fluent serve-and-volley tennis at his doubles partner Jonas Bjorkman.

Bjorkman, who reached the last four here twelve months ago, avenged a Wimbledon loss to Dutchman Jan Siemerink with a 6-4, 2-6, 6-2, 6-2 victory.

In another match carried over from Monday, Karol Kucera sent Andre Agassi crashing out in a dramatic encounter marred the previous evening by blatant gamesmanship by the American.

The 24-year-old from Bratislava, who had watched a two set lead disappear and trailed 0-3 in the fourth when rain halted play on Monday night, allowed Agassi to come tantalisingly close to a quarterfinal showdown with World number one Pete Sampras.

But after trailing 0-2 in the fifth set, the ward of compatriot Miloslav Mecir, snatched away Agassi's chance, turned the match around and completed a 6-3, 6-3, 6-7 (5-7), 1-6, 6-3 victory.

The match had become increasingly explosive on Monday when Agassi, frustrated by the Slovak's problems with his high service toss in the blustery conditions, began to imitate his opponent-- deliberately mistiming his own toss and catching the ball. ``I think it was a little unfair of Andre because I wasn't doing it on purpose,'' Kucera, who beat Sampras at the Australian Open this year, said.

Magnus Larsson defeated Germany's 92-ranked Oliver Gross 6-4, 7-5, 5-7, 6-2 in just over two hours. The 34th-ranked Larsson, who beat world number two Marcelo Rios of Chile in the previous round, now plays French Open champion Carlos Moya, the 10th seed, who defeated seventh-seeded fellow Spaniard Alex Corretja 7-6 (7-4), 7-5, 6-3.

Thomas Johansson who stunned Russian Yevgeny Kafelnikov in four sets yesterday now plays Australian Mark Philippoussis, who ended the hopes of Britain's Tim Henman with a 7-5, 0-6, 6-4, 6-1 victory.