MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) -- Venus Williams was happy just to survive three rounds of the Australian Open. Martina Hingis was annoyed she conceded a total of one game in her victory.

The second-seeded Williams dropped the first set Friday before winning eight straight games for a 3-6, 6-0, 6-4 win over No. 32 Daniela Hantuchova. Williams extended her winning streak to 23 matches.

``You always go into a match a little nervous after having a scare,'' said Williams, who struggled with a knee injury in her second-round win over Kristina Brandi. ``But I found that I could do a lot more than I did the other day, so it was exciting. I'm not used to being behind, but I can cope with it.''

Hingis, seeded third, had two set points at 5-0 in the first before Barbara Rittner held serve. Hingis grimaced after giving up the game. She then won the next seven games to finish a 6-1, 6-0 victory in 46 minutes.

In the day's last match, No. 6 Tim Henman, the highest-seeded man left, downed British countryman Greg Rusedski 6-4, 6-3, 1-6, 6-3 and advanced to the fourth round against Sweden's Jonas Bjorkman.

Henman reached last year's Wimbledon semifinal but has never advanced beyond the fourth round at any other major. He trails Bjorkman 4-2 in their matches since 1995.

``I'm pretty happy the way things are going -- I've played eight matches and won eight,'' Henman said. ``It's going to get tougher and tougher from here.''

Already, 22 of the 32 seeded men have been ousted or injured. Rusedski, No. 12 Guillermo Canas, No. 21 Younes El Aynaoui were ousted Friday.

Hingis, coming back last week after three months on the sidelines following ankle surgery, is going for her sixth consecutive Australian Open final.

``They almost counted me out but I'm still in the game,'' she said. ``I'm still holding strong.''

The ankle is giving her no problems.

``I feel very good running around,'' said Hingis, who won three Australian titles from 1997-99. ``I played very well, very focused.''

Williams is treating her injury with rest and ice. The two-time U.S. Open and Wimbledon champion said her slow start was a symptom of recurring tendinitis in her left knee.

Venus' sister, Serena Williams, withdrew before the tournament with an ankle injury. Lindsay Davenport, who finished 2001 at No. 1, isn't playing because of a knee injury.

Hantuchova mixed forehands into the corners with subtle drop shots to work Williams around the court.

The 18-year-old Slovakian won the first set, but her tactics backfired when Williams got her serve working. After her slow start, Williams sprinted to the net and turned Hantuchova's drop shots against her.

``She hit a few drop shots that I didn't run for at first, but then there were a few toward the end that I did very well on,'' Williams said.

After failing to win a game in the second set, Hantuchova broke back twice to make it 4-4 in the third set. Williams went ahead 5-4 and was serving for the match. She won when her opponent netted a forehand return.

Williams, who lost in the Australian semifinals last year to Hingis, remained on course for a quarterfinal showdown with No. 8 Monica Seles, a four-time Australian Open champ.

Seles overcame a slow start against Francesca Schiavone to win 6-4, 6-4.

In other women's matches, Adriana Serra Zanetti beat 11th-seeded Silvia Farina Elia 6-2, 4-6, 6-4; No. 13 Magdalena Maleeva beat No. 18 Lisa Raymond 7-5, 6-1; Martina Sucha defeated Asa Svensson 6-0, 6-4; and No. 15 Amanda Coetzer beat No. 17 Barbara Schett 6-3, 6-3.

On the men's side, wild card Taylor Dent used his powerful first serve to full effect in the first set, but was worn down by a relentless Adrian Voinea. The Romanian overcame Dent and a hostile crowd for a 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 win.

The 20-year-old Dent was born in California, but his father, Phil Dent, was a former top Aussie and runner-up in the 1974 Australian Open. He's become a target for both Australian and U.S. Davis Cup teams.

Dent, bothered by back injuries since the U.S. Open, went to the net 154 times. He said he was amazed by Voinea's resilience

``I don't think he outthought me. I came in with a simple game plan to make him hit winners for five sets,'' he said. ``If he plays like that consistently, I can't believe he's 90 in the world -- he was hitting the lines all over the place.''

Chilean qualifier Fernando Gonzalez got two match points and then barreled a forehand down the line to close a 6-2, 6-2, 6-2 win over Alex Kim, the American qualifier who ousted No. 4 Yevgeny Kafelnikov in the second round.

``I definitely don't feel great -- he just came out smoking,'' Kim said.

No. 16 Thomas Johansson of Sweden overcame No. 21 Younes El Aynaoui of Morocco 5-7, 6-2, 6-2, 6-4, and Bjorkman defeated Canas 6-3, 6-2, 6-4.