Venus extends win streak to 22

Wimbledon champion Venus Williams shrugged off a first-set scare and stretched her win streak to 22 matches on a muggy Friday where seeds struggled to advance at the US Open.

The 20-year-old third seed surivived four first-set service breaks to subdue 48th-rated American compatriot Meghann Shaughnessy 7-6 (7/3), 6-1 and reach the fourth round of the 15 million-dollar Grand Slam event.

"I don't think it was a wake up call at all," Williams said. "I'm glad I had a tough match. It proved to me I am playing well and I'm executing my shots better than I was in the first round."

World number one Martina Hingis, in contrast, breezed through in 37 minutes, the fastest win of the tournament, but Monica Seles and Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario were tested before moving on while South African 13th seed Amanda Coetzer lost.

On the men's side, third-seeded Swede Magnus Norman - the highest-ranked player to reach the third round - advanced with ease. But seeds Marat Safin, Cedric Pioline and Juan Carlos Ferrero were pushed hard in five-set thrillers.

And rain postponed Australian 15th-seed Mark Philippoussis' second-round match against American Jan-Michael Gambill to Saturday.

Shaughnessy led 3-0 and 5-3 before Williams broke twice for a 6-5 edge and got broken to set up the tie-breaker, in which Williams hit two double faults and sent a forehand long to provide her foe's only points.

"I never felt I was going to lose the set," she said. "I didn't feel I was playing badly. There were a lot of points where I could have lost where I came through. It's just a matter of stepping up at the right time."

Williams, whose victory run is the year's best by a woman, seeks her fifth consecutive crown after Wimbledon, Stanford, San Diego and New Haven. She next plays the only non-seed in her half of the draw, Spain's No 33 Magui Serna.

"I prefer to play a higher-ranked player but you can't pick the draw," Williams said.

A record 31,179 people watched in high humidity as Hingis, seeking her first Slam title since last year's Australian Open, dispatched Italy's 45th-ranked Tathiana Garbin 6-1, 6-0.

"It wasn't easy. I definitely had to play my game," Hingis said. "I'm just taking it step by step."

Hingis and Spanish ninth seed Sanchez, who beat American Allison Bradshaw 7-6 (7/2), 6-0, have fourth-round dates with French seeds whom they are each 11-0 against lifetime. Hingis meets No 11 Sandrine Testud. Sanchez gets No 8 Nathalie Tauziat.

Sixth seed Seles struggled past 17th-ranked fellow American Chanda Rubin 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 in 97 minutes. Rubin blew an overhead slam in the final game. Seles then smacked a pair of backhand winners to advance.

"I was really just lucky at the end to win it," Seles said. "I wasn't playing well and I was struggling. I just said, 'Stay in there. Keep trying. Things will change.' I didn't have my timing. I wasn't feeling that great on the court. I just wanted to keep fighting and never give up."

Seles will next play 15th seed Jennifer Capriati in a rematch of last year's fourth round here, when Seles won 6-4, 6-3, and an epic 1991 US Open semi-final that Seles won in a third-set tie-breaker.

Coetzer was bounced 7-5, 7-6 (7/3) by Serna, who had never taken a set from the African in five prior matches. Serna won despite 58 unforced errors by producing more winners 37-10.

"She won too many easy points off her serve. That made a big difference," said Coetzer. "I could have put more pressure on her. I would have liked to have hit the ball a bit better."

Coetzer became the third women's seed ousted, following France's No 16 Julie Halard-Decugis and 14th seed Dominique van Roost of Belgium.

Sixth seed Safin, 20, barely outlasted the draw's oldest man, Gianluca Pozzi of Italy, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4. The Russian prodigy needed five match points to survive a lesson from the crafty veteran.