Defending champion Roger Federer and former winners Andy Roddick, Marat Safin and Lleyton Hewitt advanced on Sunday at the US Open on a day when two-time winner Andre Agassi bowed out for good.
Between them they and Agassi (1999) have captured six of the last seven US Open titles. The lone champion missing from that stretch is Pete Sampras (2002) who retired after his final US Open appearance.
Safin, who won six years ago in New York, continued his domination over David Nalbandian, upsetting the fourth seeded Argentinean 6-3, 7-5, 2-6, 3-6, 7-6 (8/6) in a second-round match.
PHOTO: AP
"Of course, every time you come back after you have won it, you want to get closer to the final," Safin said.
"These days it is a different story. A lot of good players left and some others came in. The young ones are hungry and anybody can beat anybody. It is not as easy as it used to be," he said.
No doubt Agassi -- bad back and all -- will second that. The eight-time Grand Slam winner and two-time US Open champ lost to unheralded Benjamin Becker of Germany 7-5, 6-7 (4/7), 6-4, 7-5 to bring down the curtain on his career.
Andy Roddick, whose lone major title came in New York in 2003, reached the fourth round with a 6-7 (5/7), 6-3, 6-4, 6-7 (4/7), 6-2 victory over Fernando Verdasco of Spain.
Roddick will attempt to avenge Agassi's defeat when he faces Becker next for a place in the quarter-finals.
The 2001 champion, Hewitt, reached the fourth round with a 6-3, 6-1, 6-2 victory over world number 23 Novak Djokovic.
Two-time defending champion Federer crushed American Vince Spadea 6-3. 6-3, 6-0 in an evening match.
Federer will play unseeded Marc Gicquel of France for a place in the quarter-finals. Gicquel came through a tough five-setter against former French Open winner Gaston Gaudio of Argentina.
It was the Swiss star's 17th straight win at Flushing Meadows and moves him another step closer to becoming just the third man in the Open era after John McEnroe and Ivan Lendl to win a hat-trick of US Open titles.
The unseeded Safin has booked a date with Olivier Rochus of Belgium for a place in the fourth round. Safin, who has 15 career singles titles, is currently ranked 104th in the world, his lowest since 1998.
But the 26-year-old Russian continued his solid play as he comes back from a left knee injury and improved his career record against Nalbandian to 6-1.
Former women's champ Lindsay Davenport survived her first real test of the US Open on Sunday by digging deep to beat Slovenia's Katarina Srebotnik.
Davenport fought off two match points against world number 23 Srebotnik to win 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7/5) and also reach the fourth round.
The 10th seed Davenport will next play seventh seed Patty Schnyder of Switzerland who also rallied to beat France's Marion Bartoli 0-6, 6-3, 6-3.
Also on the women's side, the unseeded Serena Williams raced into the fourth round with a 6-2, 6-4 victory over 18-year-old Ana Ivanovic.
Williams will now play top seed Amelie Mauresmo of France who beat Italy's Mara Santangelo 6-3, 3-6, 6-2. Williams goes into the match brimming with confidence knowing she has a 9-1 career won-loss record against Mauresmo.
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