Hingis overcomes slump to reach last eight

Hingis cruised through the first set against Dragomir in 35 minutes but lost the second in just 22 as the unseeded Romanian played solid tennis and the World No 1 made a series of inexplicable errors.

Dragomir held for 1-0 in the third set — her seventh straight game — but Hingis then hit back with six straight games of her own to maintain her unbeaten record in their head-to-head clashes.

“I lost concentration and in the third set I knew that I really had to fight,” said Hingis.

Rubin took 38 minutes to win the first set against Zvereva and the second went to 5-5 before the American broke for 6-5 and then served out for the victory. There were no fewer than 10 breaks of serve in the match.

It was 24-year-old Rubin’s fourth win in five meetings with Zvereva as she equalled her best performance here.

NORMAN, SAFIN WIN: On Saturday, third seed Magnus Norman and 12th seed Marat Safin underlined their title credentials as they cruised into the last 16 of the men’s singles with straight sets victories. Then Aussie Lleyton Hewitt made his claim as well.

Sweden’s Norman, the surprise leader of the ATP Champions Race, crushed Sargis Sargsian of Armenia 6-4 6-1 6-2 while rising Russian star Safin was equally impressive in dismissing Tommy Haas of Germany 7-6 (7/2) 6-3 6-3.

Norman, who has yet to drop a set at the event, won in 100 minutes and now plays last year’s beaten finalist Andrei Medvedev.

Safin, commanding at the net and serving up nine aces for good measure, took 117 minutes to advance against Haas and has now made the fourth round all three times he has played the event.

“I’m more happy with my game," said Safin, who has picked off clay titles at Barcelona and Mallorca this year and won 23 of his last 26 matches.

“The first two matches I played here, I wasn’t sure of my game or condition. In the second and third sets today I got my confidence back and played a lot better.”

Ukraine’s Medvedev, wearing the same loose-fitting plaid shorts from last year, progressed by dispatching Argentina’s Agustin Calleri 6-3 3-6 6-4 6-3.

Australian ninth seed Hewitt, the pint-sized and pony-tailed up-and-comer, waltzed past Hungarian qualifier Attila Savolt on Court One.

The 19-year-old’s 6-1 6-4 6-0 win in barely 90 minutes saw him equal his best Grand Slam showing to date as he also reached the last 16 at the Australian Open in January. Hewitt piled on the pressure and forced Savolt into a stream of errors.

In the women’s, two high-profile Spaniards advanced — along with a Spanish newcomer.

Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario had to come back from 2-5 down in the opening set of her match against compatriot Magui Serna before winning 7-5 6-4 as sluggish Serna served up 10 double faults.

Eighth-seeded Sanchez-Vicario, making her 14th appearance at Roland Garros, was then joined in the fourth round by former Wimbledon champion Conchita Martinez, seeded fifth.

Martinez romped to a 6-1 6-0 win over Italy’s Silvia Farina to maintain her incredible record of having made at least the fourth round of the event in each of the last 13 years.

Sanchez-Vicario now plays Barbara Schett, the Austrian 16th seed, who sped past Grand Slam debutante Giulia Casoni 6-2 6-1 outhitting her Italian opponent from the baseline.

Spanish Grand Slam debutante Marta Marrero, a 17-year-old qualifier from Canary Islands, came back from 0-4 down on Centre Court to beat home hope Anne-Gaelle Sidot 7-6 (7-0) 6-2.

Fourth-seeded American Venus Williams walloped French wildcard Emilie Loit 6-2 6-2 on a sunshine-bathed Suzanne Lenglen Court and will next meet Germany’s Anke Huber, the 11th seed, who reached the last 16 with a 6-2 6-2 victory over Magdalena Grzybowska of Poland.