The dust finally settled after yesterday's ferocious sandstorms in Indian Wells. The temperatures were cool and it was a bit breezy, but thankfully there was nothing like the atrocious weather we experienced yesterday. Today the women's finalists were set, and the men completed the round of sixteen.

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Women's semifinals

Martina Hingis (2) def. Monica Seles (4), 6-3, 6-2
Previous head-to-head: Hingis leads 14-4

This year's women's event started off on the wrong foot when it became known that Jennifer Capriati and the Williams Sisters would not compete here. Then, the field was robbed of two more big names when Belgian sensations Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin were knocked out in the early days. As a result, the Hingis-Seles semifinal was the closest thing we would get to a heavyweight encounter. Sadly, the anticipated showdown fizzled badly.

Hingis (pictured at right) was as alert and precise as Seles was careless and wild. From the outset, Martina was swinging Monica wide, keeping her in the run. It seemed to us that Hingis was belting the ball harder than she usually does, and the pace appeared to be catch Seles by surprise. It was an excellent performance for the Swiss star, who looked very fit and quick on her feet. "I played very well," enthused Martina after the match. "I haven't had a match like this for a while."

As for Seles, she was impatient, rushing between points as if she had a plane to catch. Monica never stopped trying for high-risk winners early in the points, and was often misfiring. "I didn't really get a chance to get into the match," said a glum Seles in her press conference. "I pressed a little maybe more trying to go for more shots, and I was really missing them. After that, you just lose a little bit of confidence."

Daniela Hantuchova (18) def. Emmanuelle Gagliardi, 4-6, 6-0, 6-4
Previous head-to-head: First meeting

The other semifinal pitted the two tournament Cinderellas, 18th-seeded Slovak Hantuchova and unseeded Swiss Gagliardi. This match provided much more drama than the more balleyhooed Hingis-Seles tilt, although the tennis was of uneven quality.

As might be expected, Hantuchova, who was facing the pressure of being a heavy favourite to reach the first final of her young career, got off to a tentative start. The youngster was playing further back from the baseline, looking more tentative than in previous rounds. Meanwhile, Gagliardi was surprisingly fearless. Serving effectively, blasting forehand winners and feathering deft drop shots (remember that drop shot for later...), Emmanuelle was full value for her 6-4 lead after one set.

Hantuchova rebounded from her slow start. In the second set the Slovakian teen played the same tennis we had seen in her earlier matches, stepping inside the baseline and dominating play with her controlled yet penetrating strokes. Daniela levelled the match with a second set "bagel", and carried on to roll to a 2-0 set lead in the third. It looked as though Gagliardi's hopes would be quickly dashed. To her credit, the Swiss fought back, driving some impressive forehand winners on the run to level the deciding set at 2-2. Suddenly the match was on.

Hantuchova looked extremely nervous as she prepared to serve at 4-4. Our collaborator C********, who has been watching Daniela closely all week, noticed that she was now bouncing the ball 8 times instead of her usual 4 when preparing to serve. At 15-30 Gagliardi had her anxious opponent in trouble, but let her off the hook with an ill-advised drop shot that failed to clear the net. Hantuchova said she was perplexed at her opponent's decision to go for the drop shot in such a high wind: "Was strange". A t 30-30 Hantuchova followed up a strong serve with a backhand winner, punctuated with a discreet fist pump. With the danger removed, Hantuchova went on to hold serve and take a 5-4 lead. Gagliardi thought this sequence was the turning point. "I hit a great return, then I give away the point. She got confident. She makes a hell of a serve then, and I couldn't break her."

Serving to stay in the match at 4-5, Gagliardi failed to win a point. With triple match point, Hantuchova pounced on a short ball and nailed a swinging forehand volley, her 46th winner of the match. The 18-year-old Slovak smiled and raised both arms in victory, having chosen this prestigious tournament to reach her first-ever final.

As much of a revelation as Daniela Hantuchova has been here, few will fancy her chances against Hingis in the final. Martina has been imperial at Indian Wells this year. She has yet to drop a set, with none of the sets being closer than 6-3. It will be a tall order for the tall young Slovak. "I just can go out there and play my best. We see."

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Men's third round

Pete Sampras (10) def. Fabrice Santoro, 6-3, 3-6, 7-5
Third round
Stadium
Previous head-to-head: Tied 3-3

Fabrice Santoro is a crafty little Frenchman who seemingly lives to drive higher-ranked players crazy. One of Fabrice's victims in the past has been the great Pete Sampras, whom Santoro had beaten 3 times in 6 tries. Furthermore, Santoro came here fresh from a title in Dubai two weeks ago, and scored an upset win over 7th-ranked Sébastien Grosjean here this week. To borrow one of Marat Safin's pet phrases, "he's obviously in good conditions." Consequently we expected "the magician" to provide a n interesting test for Sampras today, and that's exactly what happened. In the end, the shotmaking skills of Sampras, despite some wobbles, had the last word.

Sampras got off to a fine start to take the first set 6-3, his game firing on almost all cylinders. The only dark lining in Pete's silver cloud was his first serve, which hovered in the 45% to 50% range for most of the match and finished at an even 50%.

Pete had a second set lull, however, and Fabrice got his teeth into the proceedings. Santoro raced to a 5-1 lead, breaking the Sampras serve twice on running passing shots that would have made Sampras himself proud. Sampras recovered one of the breaks, and then was pressing to get the second at 5-3, 15-40. Santoro saved both break points by going to the net, Sampras missing his passing attempts (the second breaking one of Pete's ever-sensitive strings). Santoro kept up his attacking play, and with a s uccessful serve-volley closed out the 6-3 set to level the match.

After an easy hold to begin the third set, the American broke serve with a vintage Sampras forehand winner, and ran out to a 4-1 lead. It looked like we might have a replay of last year's Indian Wells match between these same players, when Sampras lost the middle set but won the third set with ease. This time, however, Santoro dug in his heels. Sampras, serving for the match at 5-3, got himself in trouble with a double fault (his 6th), a forehand error (another broken string) and a sluggishly missed low volley. Santoro got the break at 30-40 in spectacular fashion: Sampras feathered a drop volley he was sure would be a winner, but the Frenchman made a frenzied, grunting sprint, reached it in time, and pushed it down the line for a winner. Sampras had failed to serve out the match, and the pro-Sampras crowd seemed stunned.

The next high drama came with Pete serving at 5-5, 0-15. A Sampras forehand appears to land beyond the baseline, but is called good. A disbelieving Santoro walks to the line, bounces his racquet off the spot he saw it hit, and kicks away the racquet furiously. Sampras goes on to hold serve. Santoro will now serve at 5-6, with no margin for error. At 15-15, Sampras plays two big-time points: a crisp forehand passing shot, and a trademark leaping overhead after Santoro had valiantly run down a drop voll ey. It is now 15-40, match point: Santoro brings the proceedings to an anticlimactic close with a double fault. A relieved Sampras saluted the cheering crowd, but at 6-3, 3-6, 7-5, he had made a narrow escape. Santoro, still angry with the lines call and non-overrule at 5-5, refused to shake the umpire's hand.

Sampras recognized after the match that Santoro's wizardry had almost gotten the best of him. "He gives a lot of guys problems, including myself," said Pete. "I mean, he's a magician. That's why he has that nickname." There were two trouble spots that Sampras will likely have to clean up if he hopes to win this tournament for the first time since 1995. Firstly, the 50% first serve percentage ("I just felt my serve really wasn't quite there tonight."). Secondly, a number of missed volleys, particular ly low volleys. He also said that his back was "a little tight" after this long match in cool weather.

The men's quarterfinals are now all set to go tomorrow, and here is how they shape up:

• Lleyton Hewitt (1) vs Thomas Enqvist:
  Hewitt and Enqvist are both "obviously in good conditions" for this appealing showdown. Lleyton efficiently disposed of his former nemesis Jan-Michael Gambill, 6-2, 6-4. Enqvist looked razor-sharp in taking out 12th-seed Roger Federer, playing nearly flawless tennis in a 6-4, 6-3 triumph.
• Rainer Schuettler vs Pete Sampras (10):
  Sampras will be facing one of the fastest men on tour in Schuettler, whose speed and persistence got the better of Marcelo Ríos in a straight set win.
• Tim Henman (9) vs Gastón Gaudio:
  "Tip Top Tim" bested Australian Open finalist Marat Safin, 7-6 (7-3), 6-4, I one of the day's more entertaining duels. Henman got more than a little help from cosly errors by the self-destructive Safin. The Russian failed to serve out the first set at 5-4 and threw in two costly double faults in the first set tie-break. But the Englishman looked sharp at the net and hung with Safin from the baseline as well. Gaudio has been much like Schuettler here, using his speed and consistency to good effect on the rather slow hard courts, and is capable of worrying Henman tomorrow. The Argentine took out the big-hitting but often wild Frenchman Julien Boutter today, 7-6 (8-6), 2-6, 6-1.
• Todd Martin (WC) vs Yevgeny Kafelnikov (2):
  American veteran Martin has more than justified the wild card given to him here. The solid Martin has not lost a set in his three matches, and is getting enthusiastic fan support. Kafelnikov fought hard to off a spirited challenge from Juan Ignacio Chela, 7-6 (10-8), 6-4.