SYDNEY, Australia -- Top-seeded Marat Safin advanced before sixth-seeded Andy Roddick was ousted at the Sydney International on Wednesday.

Safin overcame Finland's Jarkko Nieminen 3-6, 6-1, 6-2 and advanced to the quarterfinals, but South Korea's Lee Hyung-taik edged Roddick 7-6 (5), 7-5 just before a late-afternoon rain hit.

The temperature on the rubber-based center court climbed to 113 degrees while Safin played through midday. The world No. 3 is playing in preparation for next week's Australian Open in Melbourne.

Conditions fast changed from hot and humid to wet and windy, when a thunderstorm brought winds gusting up to 60 mph.

Trash blew across court when Roddick, who had led 5-2 in the second set, asked for an adjournment. Umpire Denis Overberg declined the request and the match continued.

Roddick, ranked No. 10, said it was impossible to play decent tennis.

"It was humorous out there. I mean, it wasn't ... I mean, I don't even know how to explain it," he said.

The 20-year-old American saved two match points with some unorthodox swipes and almost fell over laughing.

"It was match point, I was down 40-love, he was playing with the wind and I was against it. I literally took a grip and took full heaves at it," he said. "It normally would have gone out of the stadium, and it actually went in -- it was unbelievable."

After the storms, Wayne Ferreira beat Juan Ignacio Chela 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-4, American Mardy Fish defeated third-seeded Carlos Moya 7-6 (4), 4-6, 6-4, and Lindsay Davenport defeated Lisa Raymond 6-4, 6-1.

In earlier matches, second-seeded Juan Carlos Ferrero beat Mikhail Youzhny 6-3, 6-2 to set up a quarterfinal with seventh-seeded Paradorn Srichaphan, who defeated Max Mirnyi 3-6, 6-4, 6-4. Rainer Schuettler beat eighth-seeded Gaston Gaudio 6-7 (5), 6-2, 7-5.

In the women's draw, second-seeded Kim Clijsters beat Patty Schnyder 6-1, 6-3, and advanced to a quarterfinal against Chanda Rubin, a 6-1, 6-3 winner over Alexandra Stevenson in an all-American match.

Third-seeded Justine Henin opened her year with a 6-1, 6-0 victory over Janette Husarova, and will face Amanda Coetzer, a 6-4, 6-1 winner over Magdaleena Maleeva.