Hingis among big names to depart in third round

WIMBLEDON, England -- After four days without a significant upset, four top players were eliminated at Wimbledon on Friday -- including former champion Martina Hingis.

Hingis, the 1997 winner who is in the midst of a comeback after three years off the tour, squandered a 3-0 lead in the third set and fell 7-5, 3-6, 6-4 to Japan's Ai Sugiyama.

Fourth-seeded David Nalbandian, runner-up in 2002, lost 7-6 (9), 7-6 (9), 6-2 to 30th-ranked Fernando Verdasco of Spain in the third round.

Women's No. 5 Svetlana Kuznetsova, a former U.S. Open champion and finalist at the French Open three weeks ago, was ousted 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 by Li Na, who became the first Chinese woman to reach the fourth round at Wimbledon.

Eighth-seeded James Blake faded against 53rd-ranked Max Mirnyi of Belarus and lost in five sets. Blake won just nine points in the last set as Mirnyi won 6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 6-1, 6-0.

The 12th-seeded Hingis was one of only three women's champions in the draw, along with three-time winner Venus Williams and 2004 champ Maria Sharapova. She has made a strong return since her long layoff due to foot and ankle injuries. But Hingis couldn't put away the 18th-seeded Sugiyama, who had lost six of her previous seven matches to the Swiss player.