Michael Chang defeated Martin Damm, 6-4, 6-1 in Thursday's third round. (Joel Richardson/The Post)

With Chang ahead 5-4 in the first set, a storm delayed the third-round match on Stadium Court at 6:25 p.m. When play resumed around 8 p.m., loud leaf blowers were being used to dry the outer courts. Unfazed by the noise or delay, Chang closed out the match in about 20 minutes.

"In my years I've gotten used to it, having been through delays and hearing [leaf blowers] the whole time," said Chang, the top seed. "I know they were trying to dry the outside courts. And I think that when you've played at the U.S. Open as many times, it's nothing."

In other third-round matches, seventh seed Jim Courier defeated Justin Gimelstob, 6-3, 6-4; sixth seed Vince Spadea beat Italy's Diego Nargiso, 7-6 (7-4), 6-4; third seed Wayne Ferreira of South Africa defeated David Caldwell of Richmond, 7-5, 6-3; and fifth seed Filip Dewulf of Belgium downed Italy's Gianluca Pozzi, 7-6 (7-5), 6-4. The sole upset victim of the day was fourth seed Byron Black of Zimbabwe, who was defeated 6-2, 6-4 by Australia's Scott Draper.

During his match, Chang struggled to get his first serve into play, but was able to rely on his strong baseline strokes to bail him out of dangerous situations. Damm, from the Czech Republic, was only able to convert two of six break opportunities but Chang won five of seven break points.

Chang relaxed in the locker room during the suspension of play. He took a shower and spent some time praying and reading. When he returned, he was focused, and determined to finish the match as fast as possible.

"Martin got off to a little bit of a slow start," Chang said of their return from the delay. "He didn't seem to be ready to go."

Chang hopes that his success at Legg Mason will continue, and he looks forward to a match against Courier in the quarterfinals. The two are familiar with one another, and have split 22 career matches.

"I'd love to be able to start things off here in D.C. and get off to a good start this summer and climax it with a win at the U.S. Open," Chang said. "D.C.'s been a good place for me, the past few years in particular. I get a lot of really good crowd support here and it's a nice place to play. They've made some great changes over the years."

Courier advanced to the quarterfinals after a deceivingly tight victory over Gimelstob. He was broken by Gimelstob in the fourth game on a non-call. With break point, Gimelstob hit a forehand cross-court for a winner. Courier, amazed that it wasn't called out, walked to the spot and wondered why a call wasn't made. Fans whistled, indicating they disagreed with the non-call.

Draper single-handedly ruined any chance of a quarterfinal match between brothers Wayne and Byron Black by upsetting Byron in the third round, 6-2, 6-4, just a day after knocking out Wayne, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (8-6).

"I had a similar game plan against both brothers," said Draper, seeded 14th. "To get through both of them is certainly great."

Draper dominated Byron Black, seeded fourth, with his first serve and versatile style of play. Draper nailed eight aces and won 25 of his 31 first serve points. He also capitalized on Byron Black's serve, winning four of five break points.

His name may not be too familiar name in the United States, but Draper is well known in his homeland of Australia, where he is compared to tennis legend Rod Laver, who won an unprecedented two Grand Slams. Like Laver, Draper is a left-hander from Queensland. But that, Draper insists, is where he draws the line.

"Sometimes there are players that are similar, but this one is ridiculous," Draper said. "He's from Mars and I'm from bloody Earth. I don't think there are too many guys that'll do what he did."

In the first Stadium Court match, Caldwell pressured Ferreira throughout the first set by chasing down almost certain winners. Caldwell repeatedly sprinted to and reached for shots, hoping to force Ferreira to hit extra shots. But Ferreira kept answering Caldwell's challenge, putting away numerous shots with his powerful forehand.

"I knew I was going to be running," Caldwell said. "He hits the ball well from the ground. My game plan was to make him hit as many balls as I could. He's known for not being one of the better fighters out there. I was trying to show him it was going to be a battle and I was hoping to get an edge."

Caldwell had opportunities to gain the advantage, but he failed to convert. Ferreira saved seven of nine break points and won four of his nine chances.

"I had a couple chances to break him in the first set, but he hit some big shots," Caldwell said of Ferreira. "He just played too well."