Sampras and Agassi find vintage form

Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras are due to meet in the quarter-finals at the United States Open here tomorrow, an occasion worthy of the band playing in the grounds this year. Agassi, 31, and Sampras, 30, may be two of the oldest swingers in town, but "Hand Me Down my Walking Cane" is unlikely to be in the repertoire.

Having met twice in finals here previously – Sampras winning both times, in 1990, aged 19, when he became the youngest champion, and in 1995 – they continue to prove themselves capable of fending off challengers old and new.

Sampras added to Pat Rafter's woes on Labor Day, defeating the Australian in four sets, as he did in last year's Wimbledon final. This time, however, Sampras had less trouble, winning 6-3, 6-2, 6-7, 6-4, after two hours and 31 minutes. Agassi won with embarrassing ease against Roger Federer, the man who shot down Sampras at Wimbledon. Agassi won 6-1, 6-2, 6-4, after 83 minutes, in almost indecent haste.

For two sets, it appeared that Sampras, the 10th seed, might dispatch Rafter, the sixth seed, almost as quickly, but the popular Australian recovered, winning the third set tie-break, 7-5. Rafter then matched Sampras almost point for point in the fourth set, only to be broken on Sampras's third match point in the 10th game.

The Californian, who holds the record of 13 Grand Slam singles titles but has not won a title of any kind on the ATP Tour so far this year, is playing splendidly again. The sight of Rafter on the other side of the net appeared to bring the best out of him, and the flow of his serve-volley style graced the Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Agassi, the second seed, imposed his game on Federer from the start, winning the first two sets after only 47 minutes, a pace usually set by his girlfriend, Steffi Graf, at the height of her powers. But we must assume that his Swiss opponent was not in the best condition to cope with such a challenge, having missed six weeks of tournament play because of a groin injury incurred at Wimbledon, where he lost to Tim Henman, the British No 1, in the quarter-finals.

Federer, the 13th seed, had his moments before being swept out of the tournament by the Agassi whirlwind. The 20-year-old Swiss created four break points in the second set and five in the third. Each time, Agassi was equal to the challenge and when his opportunities came he executed them, breaking twice in the opening set, twice more in the second, and converting one of two break points in the third set.

"Roger should take it as a big compliment that I played so well today," Agassi said. "It takes respect for somebody's weapons and somebody's abilities that force you to execute everything without second- guessing."

"I think it would have been a good match if I had served well," Federer said in his interview, showing that his sense of humour was still intact by adding: "The match was over very quickly, now I'm sitting here."

Barbara Schett indirectly ensured that Jennifer Capriati would not have to contend with Venus Williams in the French Open women's singles final by eliminating the second seed in the first round. The Austrian's prospects of causing another major upset yesterday, this time against Capriati at the US Open, diminished because of her inability to convert chances.

Capriati was taken to six deuces and had to fend off four break points in the opening game, two more break points at 2-2, and a total of 10 break points before winning, 6-3, 6-3, and advancing to the quarter-finals of her home Grand Slam championship for the first time for 10 years.

Schett did not manage to break Capriati's serve until the American was within touching distance of victory, at 5-2 in the second set.

Capriati will play Amelie Mauresmo, of France, for a place in the semi-finals. Mauresmo, the eighth seed, defeated her compatriot, Nathalie Tauziat, the ninth seed, 6-0, 6-7, 6-3, in what may prove to be Tauziat's last singles match in a Grand Slam tournament.

Kim Clijsters, of Belgium, the runner-up to Capriati at the French Open, also advanced to the last eight. Clijsters, the fifth seed, defeated Elena Dementieva, of Russia, the 11th seed, 7-5, 4-6, 6-2.

Martina Hingis, having overcome Iva Majoli and Jelena Dokic, opponents responsible for two of her major defeats in Grand Slam tournaments, is due to play a newcomer, Daja Bedanova, of the Czech Republic, in the quarter-finals. The 18-year-old Bedanova caused the first upset in the women's singles here by defeating Monica Seles, the seventh seed, in three sets in the fourth round.

"I have known Daja since she was a little girl," Hingis said. "I've watched her a lot. She's very talented. There's always something new when you haven't played someone before. Her mentality is pretty close to mine. Hopefully, she's going to have some respect."

Women's fourth round results

(2) J CAPRIATI (US) beat (19) B SCHETT (Aut) 6–3 6–3

(5) K CLIJSTERS (Bel) beat (11) E DEMENTIEVA (Rus) 7–5 4–6 6–2

(8) A MAURSEMO (Fra) beat (9) N TAUZIAT (Fra) 6–0 6–7(1) 6–3

Men's fourth round results

(2) A AGASSI (US) beat (13) R FEDERER (Swi) 6–1 6–2 6–4

(10) P SAMPRAS (US) beat (6) P RAFTER (Aus) 6–3 6–2 6–7(5) 6–4

M Zabaleta (Arg) beat X Malisse (Bel) 6–4 7–6(4) 7–5

Women's Doubles third round

(3) C BLACK (ZIM)/E LIKHOVTSEVA (Rus) beat E Dominikovic (Aus)/M Irvin (US) 7–6(2) 6–3

(10) T KRIZAN/K SREBOTNIK (Slo) beat D Bedanova (Cze)/M E Salerni (Arg) 6–3 6–0

J Capriati (US)/M Hingis (Swi) beat K Hrdlickova (Cze)/B Rittner (Ger) 6–1 6–2

Men's Doubles quarter–final

(2) D JOHNSON/J PALMER (US) beat J–L de Jager/R Koenig (SA) 6–2 3–6 6–1

(4) M MIRNYI (Bela)/S STOLLE (Aus) beat M Bertolini (Ita)/D Bowen (US) 7–6(3) 6–4

Mixed Doubles quarter–final

(2) L RAYMOND (US)/L PAES (Ind) beat E Tatarkova (Ukr)/M Knowles (Bah) 6–2 6–3

(3) K PO-MESSERLI/D JOHNSONÂ (US) beat C Black/W Black (Zim) 6–3 6–4