MASTER BLASTER: Pat Rafter hammers a serve on his way to a comfortable 6-4, 6-2 victory over Canada's Sebastien Lareau in the third round of the Masters Series in Toronto. The 14th-seeded Australian dashed the hopes of local fans who were hoping to see Lareau claim another big scalp after he upset French Open champion Gustavo Kuerten in the previous round.

Rafter could be heading for another showdown with Pete Sampras, who also reached the quarter-finals with a routine 6-1, 6-2 win against Armenian Sargis Sargsian. Sampras beat Rafter in the Wimbledon final last month for his record 13th Grand Slam title. The American said: 'Now that I've done the record it's time to appreciate it and be glad I did it, but also try to move on and to add to it. I'll always play this game for a goal. I won't play just to play. There's got to be a reason to get me going, and the majors have always seemed to do that.' Scud bombshell - Page 18