The top seeds continued to fall at Indian Wells as third seed Justine Henin and sixth seed Meghann Shaughnessy tumbled out of the fourth round of the $2.1million Masters in California. Belgian Henin, the 2001 Wimbledon runner-up and the highest seed left in the top half of the draw, was let down by her serve in a 6-3, 6-3 loss to Slovak Daniela Hantuchova. Hantuchova will now face American Lisa Raymond, a 6-2, 6-3 winner over Luxembourg's Anne Kremer, in the quarter-finals.
Meanwhile, Israel's Anna Smashnova ousted Shaughnessy 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 to ensure a quarter-final match with Switzerland's Emmanuelle Gagliardi, who advanced with a 1-6, 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (7/5) victory over Russian Anastasia Myskina.
Second seed Martina Hingis continued what looks more and more like a triumphal procession toward the final, beating Zimbabwe's Cara Black 6-0, 6-3. She next faces South African Amanda Coetzer, who hung on for a 6-1, 5-7, 7-5 victory over American Alexandra Stevenson. Fourth seed Monica Seles also advanced with ease, beating Japan's Ai Sugiyama 6-0, 6-1 to line up a quarter-final clash with her old rival Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, a 6-4, 7-6 (7/4) winner over seventh seed Silvia Farina Elia of Italy.
Filed by Shane Murray
