Inspired Frazier thwarts Hingis

The unseeded American Amy Frazier shocked herself and Martina Hingis with a straight-sets upset of the top seed and defending champion in the quarter-finals of the Acura Classic here on Thursday.

The unseeded American Amy Frazier shocked herself and Martina Hingis with a straight-sets upset of the top seed and defending champion in the quarter-finals of the Acura Classic here on Thursday.

Frazier could do no wrong in the hard-court night match, posting a 6-3, 6-3 victory in just over an hour to beat a world No 1 for the first time in her 10-year career.

"I never even won a set from her before tonight, so I'm shocked and happy with the way I played," said Frazier, who had lost their four previous meetings.

Hingis was equally surprised after a night in which the 26th-ranked Frazier had an answer for everything she tried. The Swiss teenager asked: "Can you tell me what else I should have done? I tried to come in, that didn't work; I tried to play more to her forehand, she just didn't miss anything. I tried to loop it, she just didn't miss."

Hingis's exit, combined with the second-round upset of the second seed Lindsay Davenport, opens the door for the third seed Venus Williams to capture her third successive title. Williams crushed the fifth-seeded Spaniard Conchita Martinez 6-3, 6-0 in 51 minutes to cruise into the semi-finals.

The Wimbledon champion Pete Sampras progressed to the quarter-final of the Masters Series tournament in Toronto when he saw off the Armenian Sargis Sargsian 6-1, 6-2.

France's Jerome Golmard took another notable scalp when he defeated the former world No 1 Marcelo Rios of Chile in three sets, 2-6, 7-5, 7-5.

Roger Taylor, Britain's Davis Cup captain, has been named manager of the Great Britain team for the Olympics. The appointment coincides with confirmation that Tim Henman and Greg Rusedski will lead Britain in the singles. The men's doubles pairing is Kyle Spencer and Barry Cowan.

There will be no representation in the women's singles, although Julie Pullin and Lorna Woodroffe make up the doubles team.