After dropping just three games in the first two rounds, Capriati breezed through the first set, looking like she would cruise to victory again.

But Loit’s tricky left-handed game, which features off-speed strokes and a wicked inside-out forehand, began to click in the second set and she broke at the start of the third.

“She started playing a lot better,” said Capriati, who played during the day after two night matches.

“The slice, I wasn’t used to playing against that, so I just had to adjust a little bit.”

Capriati responded with a break and adjusted to her opponent before racing through the deciding set.

“I wasn’t moving her as well in the second set, so I did that a little bit better,” she said. “I was just trying to move it around and still be aggressive.”

Capriati, who ended a title drought of more than a year last week at New Haven, will face number 11 Elena Dementieva of Russia in the next round. Dementieva defeated American Amy Frazier 7-6 (7/1) 7-6 (7/3).

“She a hard hitter,” Capriati said. “She must be playing some good tennis. I have played her a few times before, it’s pretty much straight up and down tennis, just hitting the ball hard. She’s a good athlete. If she has an on day, she can really be tough to play, tough to handle.”

Second seed and French Open champion Justine Henin-Hardenne of Belgium had a much easier time advancing to the fourth round, dispatching Saori Obata of Japan 6-1 6-2.

Henin-Hardenne, who is tied for the WTA Tour lead with six titles, will face unseeded Russian Dinara Safina, who defeated Claudine Schaul of Luxembourg 6-4 7-5.

In other women’s third-round play, seventh seed Anastasia Myskina of Russia got past Spain’s Maria Sanchez Lorenzo 2-6 6-4 6-3; number 29 Francesca Schiavone of Italy topped Tina Pisnik of Slovenia 7-5 7-6 (11/9); number 15 seed Ai Sugiyama of Japan beat Australian Nicole Pratt 6-4 6-3; and two-time Grand Slam winner Mary Pierce of France posted a 6-4 6-1 victory over Japan’s Shinobu Asagoe to reach the fourth round for the sixth time.

On the men’s side, the marquee third-round match between top-seeded American Andre Agassi and number 28 Yevgeny Kafelnikov of Russia was suspended after two lengthy rain delays.

Agassi won the first set 6-3 and Kafelnikov broke to start the second before showers interrupted play for 80 minutes. Agassi won the first point of the second game of the second set before the rain returned. Officials decided the match would not continue that night.

At 33, Agassi is playing some of the best tennis of his career and is ranked number one, the oldest male to accomplish the feat in the history of the ATP rankings.

He captured his eighth career major in January at the Australian Open and is seeking his third US Open title.

Kafelnikov has been mediocre at best in what may be his final year as a professional. After seriously contemplating retirement at the end of 2002, the two-time Grand Slam champion is 27-21 this year, reaching one final.

Agassi and Kafelnikov are no strangers when it comes to Grand Slams, squaring off four times before, including the semi-finals here four years ago.

Agassi won that match in four sets en route to the title and is 3-1 lifetime against the Russian in majors and 7-4 overall.

Earlier, number 11 Paradorn Srichaphan of Thailand dispatched lucky loser Fernando Verdasco of Spain 6-3 6-4,6-3.

Sixth seed and 2001 champion Lleyton Hewitt of Australia took a 6-1 3-0 lead over Radek Stepanek before the Czech retired due to a lower back injury. Hewitt will square off with Srichaphan.

“He’s a tough player, extremely talented,” Hewitt said of his Thai foe. “He’s got every shot in the game. He’s a very aggressive player. He moves great around the court. He can volley as well.”

In other men’s third-round action, French Open champion and third seed Juan Carlos Ferrero of Spain eliminated number 33 Juan Ignacio Chela of Argentina 7-5 7-5 6-1, and fifth seed Guillermo Coria of Argentina dismissed Gregory Carraz of France 7-5 6-1 7-5.

Number 15 Fernando Gonzalez of Chile was not as fortunate, falling to unseeded American Taylor Dent 7-6 (11/9) 6-7 (3/7) 3-6 7-6 (7/4) 6-4.

It was the first five-set victory in four tries for Dent, who awaits the winner of the Agassi-Kafelnikov match in the fourth round.

In matches involving unseeded players, former finalist Todd Martin outlasted fellow American Robby Ginepri 6-7 (2/7) 7-6 (7/4) 6-4 6-4 to advance to face Ferrero. Sweden’s Jonas Bjorkman outlasted Karol Kucera of Slovakia 6-4 4-6 6-7 (3/7) 6-4 6-4, in a match up of former top-10 players.

Bjorkman and Kucera, not known for their serves or their firepower, battled for more than four hours before rain halted play at match point.

After a three-hour delay, Bjorkman won the replayed match point, ending the encounter at four hours, 37 minutes – the longest match of the tournament thus far. A semi-finalist here in 1997, Bjorkman will take on Coria in the fourth round.