Top-seeded Hingis recovered from a slow start to win her 12th straight match at the Family Circle on Thursday, while No. 7 Mauresmo won her 16th match in row this year.

They will face each other in the quarterfinals Friday.

Hingis' serve was broken three times early as Iva Majoli won the first set and led 2-0 in the second. But Hingis won 11 of the next 13 matches to take control and win 4-6, 6-2, 6-3. Hingis, the world's top player, won the 1997 and 1999 Family Circle titles.

Mauresmo, who has won her past three tournaments in Paris, Nice and Amelia Island, defeated No. 11 Lisa Raymond 7-5, 7-5 to set up the meeting against Hingis.

In other third-round action, No. 3 Conchita Martinez defeated Nicole Pratt 6-2, 6-3 and Amanda Coetzer took No. 14 Gala Leon Garcia 7-6, 6-1.

No. 2 Jennifer Capriati and No. 6 Mary Pierce, the defending champion, play later.

Capriati, the 25-year-old Australian Open champion, opened on Wednesday with a straight-set victory over Rossana de los Rios. Capriati won eight straight games for the victory and said she was playing more aggressively this year.

``If nothing else happens, I'll be pretty happy to look back on this year and my whole career,'' she said. ``This is the best year I've had so far. I think it can only get better.''

One competitor who won't be among the quarterfinalists is Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario, the No. 5 seed, who lost her opening match to Elena Likhovtseva 6-3, 6-4 Wednesday night.

``I always look forward to playing here and I usually have good results,'' said Sanchez-Vicario, the four-time Grand Slam tournament winner ranked 10th in the world. ``I did not play very well, and Elena played a strong game.''

Sanchez-Vicario, whose record 15th straight singles appearance here broke a tie with Rosie Casals, has had only a mixed year so far.

She lost her first match at Dubai, in the third round at Indian Wells and in the fourth round at the Ericsson.

But Sanchez-Vicario rebounded to win the Porto Ladies Open earlier this month, then reached the semis at Amelia Island a week ago before Mauresmo ended the Spaniard's eight-match win streak.

On Wednesday, Sanchez-Vicario frequently missed volleys that went for winners in years past. Her serve was not crisp, she said, and could not get comfortable in the cool Daniel Island temperatures despite returning to the locker room at one point to get a sweater vest.

``Today and yesterday was probably the coldest day I have played for a long time coming from the hot weather that we've been having in Florida, so it's a big change,'' Sanchez-Vicario said.

No. 12 Meghann Shaughnessy and No. 16 Silvia Farina Elia also lost.