Davenport spoils celebrations

Australian Open Championships: Lindsay Davenport ruined Australia's national day celebrations when she clung on desperately to beat local favourite Alicia Molik 6-4 4-6 9-7 in a nailbiting women's singles quarter-final finish tinged with controversy after a line judge made an incorrect call on a crucial point.

Davenport plays Nathalie Dechy in today's semi-finals, the Frenchwoman also coming through yesterday in three sets 5-7 6-1 7-5 against Patty Schnyder.

She had never before reached the last eight of a grand slam championship.

Molik, one of the fastest improving players in the game, beat former world number one Venus Williams in the fourth round and almost upset Davenport as well.

She twice broke Davenport when she was serving for the match and should have gone up 8-7 in the final set when she hit an ace which was incorrectly called out.

The Australian, who turns 24 today, briefly lost her composure and went on to lose the game as well, allowing Davenport, the 2000 champion, to serve out for victory in the next game.

"Happily I was able to serve it out in the end. It was a really tough match," Davenport said.

"It was just frustrating, when you have the match on your racket. I had a match point, she hit a great shot. Not playing the type of game that you want to play, it's a little alarming."

Molik said she was annoyed that her ace was called out but refused to blame it for her loss.

"One point doesn't decide a tennis match," she said. "The bottom line is I probably had a chance out there to win today."

Dechy won a topsy-turvy encounter with Schnyder to reach the last four of a grand slam for the first time in almost a decade of trying.

The 19th seed saved 11 of 13 break points in a match lasting more than two and a half hours but was angry that organisers had put them on Margaret Court Arena instead of the centre court.

"That wasn't scheduled very nicely," the Frenchwoman said.

"You feel really disappointed because you just think that nobody cares too much about this match and it's still a quarter-final of a grand slam."

Serena Williams, faces Maria Sharapova in today's other women's singles semi-final.

MEN'S SINGLES: Quarter-finals: (3) Lleyton Hewitt (Aus) bt (9) David Nalbandian (Arg) 6-3 6-2 1-6 3-6 10-8, (2) Andy Roddick (USA) bt (26) Nikolay Davydenko (Rus) 6-3 7-5 4-1 ret

WOMEN'S SINGLES: Quarter-finals: (1) Lindsay Davenport (USA) bt (10) Alicia Molik (Aus) 6-4 4-6 9-7, (19) Nathalie Dechy (Fra) bt (12) Patty Schnyder (Swi) 5-7 6-1 7-5.

MEN'S DOUBLES: Quarter-finals: (5) Wayne Black (Zim) and Kevin Ullyett (Zim) bt (3) Mahesh Bhupathi (Ind) and Todd Woodbridge (Aus) 7-6 (7-3) 6-3, (4) Jonas Bjorkman (Swe) and Max Mirnyi (Blr) bt (6) Michael Llodra (Fra) and Fabrice Santoro (Fra) 7-6 (7-2) 7-5.

WOMEN'S DOUBLES: Semi-finals: (6) Svetlana Kuznetsova (Rus) and Alicia Molik (Aus) bt (7) Anastasia Myskina (Rus) and Vera Zvonareva (Rus) 6-2 6-3, (15) Lindsay Davenport (USA) and Corina Morariu (USA) bt Gabriela Navratilova (Cze) and Michaela Pastikova (Cze) 3-6 6-2 6-3.

MIXED DOUBLES: Second round: (5) Bob Bryan (USA) and Vera Zvonareva (Rus) bt Frantisek Cermak (Cze) and Katarina Srebotnik (Slo) 6-3 6-2, (4) Kevin Ullyett (Zim) and Liezel Huber (Rsa) bt Yen-Hsun Lu (Tpe) and Nannan Liu (Chn) w/o.

MIXED DOUBLES: Quarter-finals: Andy Ram (Isr) and Conchita Martinez (Spa) bt (1) Daniel Nestor (Can) and Rennae Stubbs (Aus) 7-5 6-7 (3-7) 7-6 (14-12), Scott Draper (Aus) and Samantha Stosur (Aus) bt Wayne Arthurs (Aus) and Trudi Musgrave (Aus) 6-2 7-6 (9-7).