Davenport refuses to yield

 TENNIS/French Open: Like the mood of the French public going into yesterday's referendum vote for Europe, so Lindsay Davenport also said no to others trying to influence her affairs at Roland Garros, most specifically Kim Clijsters.

The American, who had dropped a set in each of her three previous matches, contrived to hand Clijsters a 6-1, 3-1 lead before fighting back for her fourth and most rewarding three-set win of the week as well as a place in the quarter-finals.

It was a day of departures and returns in the women's side of the draw. Clijsters left early in the day before last year's beaten finalist and fourth seed Elena Dementieva followed soon after in one of two all Russian match-ups. Elena Likhovtseva, who had not beaten her compatriot since their first meeting in 2000, edged out Dementieva in three tight sets 7-6(3), 5-7, 7-5.

But Mary Pierce made a return to the quarter-final stage for the first time since 2002 while 15-year-old Sesil Karatancheva, who knocked Venus Williams out of the competition, became the sixth youngest quarter-finalist of the Open Era. Jennifer Capriati remains the youngest. She reached the semi-final stage in 1990, two months after her 14th birthday.

Maria Sharapova, who also made it to the last eight last year, was on the road of doing so again against the unfancied Nuria Llagostera Vives from Spain. The Russian second seed took the first set 6-2 before an early break in the second sent her on the way again as the rain arrived and play was suspended with the scores in the second set level at 3-3.

Clijsters, who seemed so much in control of Davenport for a set and a half, simply parted company with her consistency in the latter stages of the match. Her confidence then followed with debilitating consequences as Davenport inched back into contention to gratefully reclaim the second set 7-5 and clinch the third 6-3.

Clijsters' 11 double faults and frequently misplaced forehands all contributed to the turn around but despite suspicions that her leg was bothering her, she declined to use her heavily strapped right knee as an excuse for the weak second half performance.

As much as Davenport deserved to win, she will know that fortune favoured her against the number 14 seed, who was also short of the physical shape she required to see out the match. Despite that she came into it not having dropped a set all week and with a record of beating the 28-year-old in their last six meetings, her confidence should have been high. But even Davenport was a little perplexed after the win.

"Just really a bit amazed I was able to pull that match out today, considering how bad I was losing and the previous records against her and that it was on clay," she said candidly.

Davenport now meets Mary Pierce in the quarter-finals. You may have thought Pierce had vanished into an ocean of her own idiosyncrasies. She's still flapping at the imaginary fly buzzing around her head, the towels are still folded over her bag, the laces evenly bow tied, the ponytail tightened before serve . . . but the 30-year-old and oldest player in the draw is still here after her 6-1, 1-6, 6-4 win over Switzerland's Patty Schnyder.

Pierce, who spends most of her time in Paris training, had the match in her hand more than once but just couldn't bring it to a close. She earned and handed back 11 match points before reluctantly taking the third set 6-4 in a little over two hours.

"I was just trying not to think too much, just try and play each point. I thought eventually I would come through," said Pierce.

"Lindsay . . . a great girl. I really like her a lot off the court," she added. "On paper I shouldn't win. On paper I shouldn't have won the last two matches I've played. I've nothing to lose. It's definitely not going to be easy. She's number one player, the number one seed." Her meeting with Davenport will bring together two players who do not move that well on clay but if they can get their racquet to the ball both also have powerful groundstrokes. Pierce carries significant clay court experience. She was the winner here four years ago.