Jared Palmer ended Lucas Arnold's interest in this year's Bermuda Open with a surprisingly untroubled straight sets victory over the 1998 runner-up at Coral Beach last night.

And Palmer will be looking for an Argentinian double when he faces defending champion Hernan Gumy in the last eight at the green clay courts in Paget this evening.

That promises to be some battle, Palmer and Gumy having met just once before -- in the US Open three years ago -- and that went to five sets.

Palmer, speaking after his 6-3 7-5 win over Arnold, said: "I lost to Gumy then. Obviously he's a very strong player, very fit. But I don't see any reason why I can't beat him. I think I'm hitting the ball well enough.

"There's no doubt it'll be tough, but it would be a good win for me.'' The New Yorker, now based in Florida, came out of the stalls fast, breaking Arnold in the very first game, and it seemed to upset the South American's rhythm.

His game was out of sorts and with it his temperament.

He failed to find the desired length on his shots, missed strokes he might normally put away in his sleep and when he tried his usually successful tactic of throwing the ball up high with huge topspin, Palmer refused to be intimidated and delivered a number of winners on either side.

Arnold's response was to revert into some choice Spanish and throw his racquet down in a mixture of frustration and petulance.

At 30-30 in the ninth game, Arnold double faulted to give Palmer his first set point and although he saved that to get to deuce, Palmer didn't waste his second opportunity to take the set 6-3.

Palmer served to love to open the second set at which point Arnold ignored the changeover and practised his serve.

It didn't seem to do the trick as Palmer created three opportunites to break after getting to deuce, but then Arnold showed something of what he was capable of, volleying the ball off the very tip of his toes to set up his own advantage.

Palmer forced two more chances to break, but Arnold stayed in the hunt with a brace of good serves and a smash from close to the net which allowed him to level at 1-1.

Palmer's distress at missing out seemed to have an impact and immediately Arnold broke the American for the first time. Palmer broke back straightaway but then lost his own serve to love as Arnold buried his demons to move into a 4-2 lead.

Yet just when it looked like fifth seed Arnold would serve out to make it a set apiece, he was broken again by Palmer, who once rose as high as 35 in the world.

Arnold had two chances to break Palmer again at 5-5 but Palmer held and then produced three excellent shots to take the match.

"I'm very happy with that win,'' added Palmer. "He's a very good clay courter.

"But in the first set he was definitely a bit off-colour. I'm sure he doesn't usually miss as many shots as that.

"He was close to winning the second set. I had four or five break points in the second game and I didn't convert on them and then I lost the very next game. That happens a lot in tennis, but obviously I didn't feel that it had got away from me because I came back and broke him again.

"I haven't played a lot of singles, so you take a while to get used to pressure situations, but overall I thought I played well enough. I feel good physically and I worked some good long points.'' Elsewhere yesterday, fourth seed Guillermo Canas became the first man into the semi-finals after an exhausting battle in the heat on court seven with Belgian Christophe Rochus.

It was a fascinating three-set duel in strong sunlight, with Canas's never-say-die attitude and Rochus's blistering forehands providing fullsome entertainment.

Rochus, conqueror of compatriot Johan Van Herck a day earlier, might count himself a little unlucky, but his breathtaking winners were too liberally combined with over-ambition and unforced errors as he went down 6-2, 5-7, 6-3.

Simultaneously, on centre court, doubles second seeds Richey Reneberg and Doug Flach were only just surviving a three-setter against Brazilians Ricardo Schlachter and Paulo Taicher, winning 6-4, 4-6, 6-4.