PARIS (AP) -- An egg splattered on center court, and Martina Hingis didn't know what to think.

``I was happy it wasn't thrown at me -- especially here,'' said Hingis, who has endured jeers from French fans since her tantrum in the 1999 final when she lost to Steffi Graf. ``I just tried to keep going, to play my game and continue.''

The top-seeded Swiss went on to beat local favorite Sandrine Testud 6-1, 2-6, 6-2 Sunday to advance to the quarterfinals of the French Open.

Testud, seeded 17th, was down 5-0 in the first set when the egg smashed in front of her as she prepared to serve. A brief timeout was called as tournament workers cleaned up the yolk and shattered shell.

``I'm glad it didn't fall on my head,'' Testud said with a laugh. ``It doesn't happen every day that you're on center court and an egg falls out of nowhere.''

Testud's exit dashed French hopes for a women's champion. No. 5 Amelie Mauresmo and No. 9 Nathalie Tauziat had already been eliminated, and defending champion Mary Pierce didn't play because of a back injury.

Hingis moved one step closer to the only Grand Slam trophy she has not yet won.

``I knew I couldn't let anything affect me today, not the crowd, not her, nothing,'' she said.

The match was her 15th against Testud and the 15th time Hingis walked out the winner.

Testud said the egg offered some ``comic relief'' in an otherwise tense match and may even have brought some good luck, if only briefly.

``I played better after that,'' Testud said. She held her serve after the egg landed, but lost the set 6-1.

Testud went on rattle the world's top player, forcing her to drop a set for the first time in the tournament. The Frenchwoman played aggressively at net with a mixture of unreachable smashes and delicate taps. She outlasted Hingis in an 18-point game to take the set 6-2.

``I got a little bit uncomfortable after the second set,'' Hingis said. ``But in the third, I regrouped. It was all going my way.''

Hingis came back strong in the final set, breaking Testud's first serve. She served out game four at love and sent a backhand winner down the line to take the match.

``When Martina plays, she doesn't make many errors,'' Testud said. ``She plays fast, she moves well, and it's hard to get past her.''

Hingis, runner-up in 1997 and in 1999, faces a quarterfinal against Italy's Francesca Schiavone. The winner of that duel faces No. 4 Jennifer Capriati or No. 6 Serena Williams in the semifinals.

Hingis said she tries not to think about adding the French Open trophy to her Grand Slam collection.

``I'm just looking forward to my next match,'' she said.