Top-ranked Gustavo Kuerten trailed 4-2 in the final set before beating Yevgeny Kafelnikov. (Jeff Swinger photo) | ZOOM |

        MASON — No victory came easily for anyone Friday at the Tennis Masters Series Cincinnati. But fans sure their money's worth.

        All four quarterfinal matches went to three sets — for the first time since the beginning of the Open Era in 1969 — totaling close to 10 hours of tennis.

        When the dust settled, the tournament was left with the No.1-ranked player in the world (Gustavo Kuerten), the 1998 champion (Patrick Rafter), last year's runner-up (Tim Henman) and the ATP's winningest player in matches this year (Lleyton Hewitt).

        Rafter and Hewitt, two Australians, will square off at 1 p.m. today; Kuerten meets Henman at 7 p.m. in a rematch of one of last year's semifinals.

TODAY'S GUIDE

• Schedule, results   • Television: 1-3 p.m., ESPN (live); 10 p.m.-midnight, ESPN2 (tape delayed)

        Kuerten, the top seed, had to rally from 4-2 in the final set. No.5 Hewitt endured two tie-breakers and the third-longest match in Cincinnati since the ATP started keeping time 10 years ago (172 minutes). No.8 Rafter battled back after losing the first set of a match that tied for fifth-longest in Cincinnati (167 minutes). No.7 Henman also lost the first set of his match.

        The Hewitt-Ivan Ljubicic match was delayed roughly two hours by rain, then was moved from the Stadium Court to the Grandstand Court to ensure that the 7p.m. match between Kuerten and Yevgeny Kafelnikov on the Stadium Court would start on time.

        Hewitt had to default his doubles match, which also was to be played Friday, because of an upper respiratory infection and dehydration.

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