New York, Sep 02: US Open officials postponed the conclusion of the last two women's fourth round women's singles matches after heavy rains returned to the flushing Meadows hardcourts here last night. Delayed until today, weather permitting, were the completion of Japanese 11th seed AI Sugiyama's match against Italy's Francesca Schiavone and Russian seventh seed Anastasia Myskina's match against France's Mary Pierce.

Sugiyama and Schiavone were level at 6-6 and preparing to enter a first-set tie-breaker when they were forced off the court for the third time in the day. The final walk off came 12 1/2 hours after their match was scheduled to start and still there was no resolution to who would face sixth seed Jennifer Capriati for a berth in the semi-finals.

Myskina led Pierce 4-2 when play was halted for the day, leaving unsettled the quarter-final opponent for Belgian second seed Justine Henin-Hardenne. Earlier, French Open champion Henin-Hardenne breezed into the quarter-finals with a 6-0 6-3 victory over Russian teen Dinara Safina.

Henin-Hardenne and Safina, the 17-year-old sister of 2000 US Open men's winner Marat Safin, twice warmed up only to be halted by showers.

The Belgian waffled after winning the first 11 games, allowing Safina a bit of respectability before finally subduing Safina after 57 minutes.

Bureau Report