Dokic claims another scalp

Elfin charm for those not in the competition. Martina Hingis, Katerina Studenikova, Anne Kramer and now ninth seed Mary Pierce, have all experienced a bushwhacking from the 16-yearold Australian Jelena Dokic, the sensation at this year's Wimbledon.

Once again yesterday an established name tumbled as the talented teenager made another leap towards becoming the first qualifier to ever reach a semi-final at Wimbledon. Only unseeded Alexandra Stevenson or American Lisa Raymond stands in her way in the quarter-finals, Stevenson herself a qualifier.

"It's a bit hard to believe coming from qualifying," Dokic said. "If you told me two weeks ago, I wouldn't have believed it. I felt much better there - tennis wise. I've said this before. The better the opponent, the better you play."

"I think (after) beating Hingis in the first round there was a little bit of pressure to win a few more rounds, and I think winning the next few rounds and then beating Mary today just proved it.

"Beating Hingis is probably still in my head and I'm thinking `did that really happen? Am I really able to beat top players.' Then beating Mary today . . ."

Throughout last week, the teenager had to endure a fair amount of media pressure as attention focused on her father Damir, a Serb who moved his family to Australia before the most recent outbreak of war in Kosovo. He was involved in a disturbance during a pre-Wimbledon tournament in Birmingham which earned him the convenient tennis image of a troublesome father. But at Wimbledon he has done little to dull his daughter's sparkle.

Dokic's ability to conduct herself with maturity at press conferences has also drawn the media attention back to her tennis. Practising with former champion Steffi Graf has also helped.

"We've been hitting and helping each other out but she is a great player and a real pro," Dokic said. "I haven't known her before but I really admire her. In practice she gives me tips on what I should work on and things to do," said the young player who can only play Graf at this tournament if both players make the final.

For Pierce it ended a tournament in which her use of the legal muscle builder creatine was much debated. She was again asked about it yesterday, but refused to answer and followed that up by demanding that the interview then be conducted in French.

Pierce declined to answer whether Dokic was simply a flash in the pan or had real potential.

"You, know it's too premature to ask that kind of question. I mean, you never know," said Pierce. "She's a good fighter. She never gave up. She moves around the court really well and hit some good shots when she was in trouble."

Dokic now has a reasonable chance of making the semi-finals. Stevenson, who she may meet in the quarter-finals, has been so chuffed with her progress that she has opted to chuck in her amateur status and become professional. A win against fellow American Raymond will be worth a tidy £50,280 for Stevenson.

Holder Jana Novotna continued to motor along, but not without a few hitches, taking two hours to deal with unseeded French girl Nathalie Dechy 6-3 7-5.

Again the rain delay and blustering cross court winds played their part, with Novotna's ankle also drawing attention. Following a fall at the French Open Novotna has been playing with it heavily bandaged.

"It was a very difficult match. I started at noon and finished at 5.0 p.m. I wasn't really feeling comfortable on the court today," Novotna said. "I couldn't really play my shots and basically struggled from the beginning until the end."

"I've been very positive since the injury. It's not completely healed. I don't have a full range of mobility but I'm managing to do just fine. Now I'm in the quarterfinals and a couple of weeks ago I wasn't even sure if I would be playing at this time, so it is a miracle," added the fifth seed.

Despite her injury, Novotna, who had lost two finals before last year's triumph, has considered her next game against Lindsay Davenport. Deserting the one game at a time cliche, the champion sees the grass as her ally.

"I'm not surprised she's looking forward to playing me since I have never beaten her before. But this time . . . we have never met on grass. We've always played on hard courts and indoors, so obviously that will play to my advantage," said Novotna.

At 30, this will probably be her last realistic chance of another win. Dokic, though, can shrug. Fourteen years Novotna's junior, Wimbledon has already been an odyssey and a triumph.