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No quarter Big hitters dominate women's fourth-round matches
Updated: Monday July 02, 2001 10:07 PM
WIMBLEDON, England (AP) -- Lindsay Davenport has been saying it all along at this year's Wimbledon. "I would be surprised if the winner was someone other than the Williams sisters, [Jennifer] Capriati or myself," said the 25-year-old American, who defeated 18-year-old Yugoslav Jelena Dokic 7-5, 6-4 on Monday to reach the quarterfinals. "Doesn't mean it can't happen." If it does, the 2001 champion could be one of two Belgian teen-agers waiting to make their breakthrough: 18-year-old Kim Clijsters or 19-year-old Justine Henin. There's also the almost-forgotten '94 champion Conchita Martinez, or Nathalie Tauziat, the '98 Wimbledon runner-up who is retiring after this season. The most anticipated Tuesday quarterfinal is the replay of the French Open quarterfinal four weeks ago between fourth-seeded Capriati and No. 5 Serena Williams. Capriati won in three sets at Roland Garros en route to the title. "I think she's [Serena] probably going to be pretty eager, especially against me since I just beat her twice," said Capriati, who defeated Sandrine Testud 6-1, 6-2 Monday as she bids for her third straight Grand Slam title. "She probably wants to get revenge." Serena Williams won just as easily against Magdalena Maleeva, 6-2, 6-1, and promised to play like the "real" Serena this time. "The last time I didn't play," she said. "I think it was someone impostering me. I was hitting a lot of errors and going crazy."
Having disposed of one teen-ager, third-seeded Davenport -- last year's runner-up and the '99 champion -- gets another in seventh-seeded Clijsters, the French Open finalist. "I'm sure her level of confidence has got to be higher than it was three or four weeks ago, but so is mine," said Davenport, who is unbeaten on grass since coming back almost three weeks ago from a three-month layoff with a knee injury. Clijsters defeated American Meghann Shaughnessy 7-6 (2) 7-6 (5). She's just as competitive as her father Leo, the soccer player of the year in Belgium in 1988. "I think that's where I get it from," she said. "I hate losing in any game." Defending champion Venus Williams hardly drew a deep breath reaching the quarterfinals. She beat Russian Nadia Petrova 6-2, 6-0 and will face 1998 runner-up Nathalie Tauziat. Tauziat, playing her 16th and last Wimbledon, defeated Tamarine Tanasugarn 6-3, 6-2. Williams, playing on Court No. 2, the so-called "The Graveyard of Champions," was asked more about her sister's match than her showdown against 33-year-old Tauziat. If they keep winning, the two sisters would meet in Saturday's final. A year ago, Venus beat Serena in a historic semifinal that her father, Richard, declined to watch. "I'm going to be hoping Serena wins all the way, she's my sister. I want the best for her. ... In the previous matches she's played against Jennifer ... I don't think Serena's performed as well as she can." Tuesday other quarterfinal pits 19th seeded Conchita Martinez against Justine Henin, the Belgian 19-year-old who was eliminated in the French Open quarterfinals by Clijsters. Martinez defeated unseeded Lina Krasnoroutskaya of Russia 6-3, 6-4. Eighth-seeded Henin won over 18th-seeded Anke Huber 4-6, 6-2, 6-2. Martinez or Henin will reach the semifinals and meet either
Capriati or Serena Williams. In the bottom half of the draw,
Clijsters or Davenport will play either Tauziat or Venus Williams.
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