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Down To The Wire

Tuesday is women's singles quarterfinal day at Roland Garros, with just eight women remaining in the year's second Grand Slam. The world's Top 2 - Lindsay Davenport and Maria Sharapova - take on former champions Mary Pierce and Justine Henin-Hardenne respectively.

No.10 seed Henin-Hardenne (left) staged a brilliant comeback on Monday, trailing 5-3 in the third set and saving two match points before ousting US Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova 76(6) 46 75. The other quarterfinals see Nadia Petrova take on Serbian sensation Ana Ivanovic and Elena Likhovtseva meet 15-year-old Bulgarian Sesil Karatantcheva.

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May 30, 2005

Roland Garros: Quarterfinal Preview

PARIS - The world's Top 2 players, Lindsay Davenport and Maria Sharapova, will be put to the test by two former champions while Russians Nadia Petrova and Elena Likhovsteva will be challenged by up-and-coming teenagers, as the stars of the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour take to the court on Tuesday for the 2005 French Open quarterfinals. The following is a match-by-match preview of the day's action.

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(1) Lindsay Davenport (USA) vs. (21) Mary Pierce (FRA) - Davenport leads 8-2

World No.1 Davenport has shown a lot of resilience and heart this year at Roland Garros, surviving three-set matches in each of her four rounds prior to Tuesday's quarterfinal. Most recently, she came back from a one set, one break deficit in the fourth round to defeat 2003 runner-up Kim Clijsters for the first time in her last seven encounters with the Belgian. The American has amassed a 13-1 clay court record this season, including winning her second straight title at Amelia Island in April.

In contrast, 2000 champion Pierce (pictured) has only dropped one set en route to her fourth career quarterfinal in Paris. She followed up an impressive 76(2) 75 third round win over No.9 seed Vera Zvonareva with a 61 16 64 upset of recent Rome finalist and No.8 seed Patty Schnyder on Sunday. The Frenchwoman is 11-4 on clay this season, but more impressively is now 42-13 at Roland Garros, a record that includes a 1994 runner-up finish here in addition to her 2000 title.

Although Davenport has won eight of their 10 previous meetings, the two have not met since October, 1999 at the Grand Slam Cup, where Davenport won in three sets. They have played just three times on clay, with Davenport leading 2-1, but with Pierce winning 46 63 63 in the semifinals at Amelia Island in 1998, which was their last meeting on the surface.

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(2) Maria Sharapova (RUS) vs. (10) Justine Henin-Hardenne (BEL) - Tied 1-1

Second-ranked Sharapova began her French Open campaign with a tough three-set win over 41st-ranked Evgenia Linetskaya, but has dropped just 15 games in her three matches since, most recently a 62 63 win over 46th-ranked Nuria Llagostera Vives in a rain-delayed fourth round match that was started on Sunday but finished on Monday. The Russian teenager has won nine of 11 matches on clay so far in 2005, including her very first clay court semifinal appearance in Rome two weeks ago. She is also making her second straight quarterfinal appearance at Roland Garros.

2003 champion Henin-Hardenne has had a more complicated path to the quarterfinals, including three-set battles with 45th-ranked Conchita Martinez and 34th-ranked Anabel Medina Garrigues, and most recently overcoming a 5-3 third set deficit and two match points to defeat reigning US Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova in the fourth round. Her troubles come in stark contrast to her results prior to Roland Garros, which include consecutive titles at Charleston, Warsaw and Berlin, and what is now a 21-match win streak heading into the quarterfinals.

The pair has split their two prior meetings. Sharapova stopped Henin-Hardenne in the Belgian's season debut on the hard courts at Miami, squandering match points in the second set but closing it out 61 67(6) 62 in the quarterfinals. Henin-Hardenne gained revenge on red clay in the quarterfinals of Berlin, where she dispatched the Russian 62 64 en route to her third title at the event.

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(7) Nadia Petrova (RUS) vs. (29) Ana Ivanovic (SCG) - Ivanovic leads 1-0

2003 semifinalist Petrova has had impressive results on clay in 2005, winning 14 of 17 matches heading into the quarterfinals here, a record that includes a runner-up finish in Berlin and a semifinal finish at Amelia Island. After dropping just 14 games in her first three rounds here, she was put to the test in the fourth round on Sunday by 12th-seeded Elena Bovina, overcoming her compatriot 75 36 64 in almost two and a half hours.

She will face stiff competition again in her next match against rising Serbian star Ana Ivanovic, who has torn up the field in just her first trip to Roland Garros. After not losing a set en route to the third round, she stunned No.3 seed Amelie Mauresmo 64 36 64 to become just the fifth Grand Slam debutante in the Open Era to defeat a Top Three player. She followed up that win with a 64 67(3) 63 fourth round victory over No.22 seed Francesca Schiavone. It should come as no surprise that Ivanovic has made it so far here. She is in the midst of a breakthrough season, highlighted by her first Sony Ericsson WTA Tour title at Canberra, her first three Top 10 match victories, and her first Tier II semifinal appearance at Warsaw.

In their only prior meeting, Ivanovic defeated the Russian 64 75 in the second round at Miami earlier this year, which at the time was the 17-year-old's first Top 20 win.

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(16) Elena Likhovtseva (RUS) vs. Sesil Karatantcheva (BUL) - Karatantcheva leads 1-0

29-year-old veteran Likhovtseva is making her first quarterfinal appearance in her 11th trip to Roland Garros. The Russian has not had an easy route to her career-third Grand Slam quarterfinal. She began with a 26 64 64 win over 76th-ranked Yuliana Fedak, and after a routine win over 73rd-ranked Mariana Diaz-Oliva in the second round, she defeated No.18 seed Silvia Farina Elia for the first time in over 10 years by a score of 75 76(2) to reach the round of 16 here for the first time. There, she upset 2004 runner-up and No.4 seed Elena Dementieva 76(3) 57 75 in just under three hours.

She will next face 2004 junior Roland Garros champion Sesil Karatantcheva. The 98th-ranked Karatantcheva has made her biggest career breakthrough here, in just her career-third Grand Slam main draw appearance. Just two days after notching her then-biggest career win over No.19 seed Shinobu Asagoe here in the second round, she defeated No.11 seed Venus Williams in three sets in the third round, following that up with a 75 63 win in the fourth round over 105th-ranked Emanuelle Gagliardi to reach her third career quarterfinal. Including her junior title run here last year, the 15-year-old Bulgarian has now won 10 matches in a row at Roland Garros.

She will look to keep that streak going on Tuesday against Likhovtseva. In their only previous encounter, Karatantcheva outlasted Likhovtseva 62 06 76(3) in the second round at the Gold Coast event in January.

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Federer, Nadal to Meet in Blockbuster Semifinal

World No.1 Roger Federer and Spanish sensation Rafael Nadal will clash for a spot in the finals of Roland Garros after moving through in straight sets on Tuesday. Federer kept his hopes alive for completing a career Grand Slam by defeating surprise package Victor Hanescu. Nadal defeated countryman David Ferrer for the third time this year to earn his semifinal spot. Federer vs. Nadal

On Wednesday, Nikolay Davydenko meets Tommy Robredo and Guillermo Canas faces Mariano Puerta in the remaining quarterfinals.

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Something in the Stars?

Spanish teenage sensation Rafael Nadal will celebrate his 19th birthday on Friday, June 3, the day he takes on Roger Federer for a place in his first Grand Slam final. And Federer knows all about losing to birthday boys on the big stage after Marat Safin toppled the World No. 1 in the semifinals of the Australian Open earlier this year as the Russian celebrated his 25th birthday.

Safin, whose birthday falls on January 27, has enjoyed his most Grand Slam success at the Australian Open. After going on to win his first title there in Melbourne this year, Safin has a 27-5 record in the tournament, having finished runner-up on two previous occasions. And Safin isn't the only former World No. 1 to celebrate his birthday during his most successful Grand Slam tournament.

Bjorn Borg, a winner of 11 Grand Slam titles during his illustrious career, celebrated his birthday on June 6 at each one of his six Roland Garros triumphs (1974-75, '78-81), while Borg's fellow Swede Stefan Edberg picked up his second Grand Slam title at the Australian Open in 1987 just days after his 21st birthday on January 19. Edberg went on to finish with a 56-10 record in Melbourne and hit the top spot for 72 weeks in the early 1990s.

The US Open also has provided plenty of reason to celebrate for Americans Andy Roddick and Jimmy Connors. Roddick celebrated his 21st birthday on August 30 on Arthur Ashe court in 2003 before going on to claim his first Grand Slam title the following week, while Connors compiled an incredible 98-17 record in the Big Apple while celebrating his birthday on September 2. Along with his five titles in 1974, '76, '78, 82-83, who will ever forget the New York crowd wishing Jimmy a happy 39th birthday after reaching the semifinals in 1991?

Only time will tell whether Nadal can join them in making Roland Garros his own birthday gift in the future. Federer for sure will be hoping this won't be the start.

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Statistics Of Roland Gaross

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Pierce Defeats Davenport, Veterans Prevail in Paris

Mary Pierce will be making her first appearance in the semifinals at Roland Garros since her title run in 2000 after claiming a 63 62 victory against world No.1 Lindsay Davenport on Tuesday. Pierce will take on first-time Slam semifinalist Elena Likhovtseva, a three-set winner against Bulgarian teen Sesil Karatantcheva.

In the other semifinal, 2003 champion Justine Henin-Hardenne advanced to face No.7 seed Nadia Petrova. Henin-Hardenne defeated No.2 Maria Sharapova, while Petrova ended the run of No.29 seed Ana Ivanovic.

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Starlets Sesil and Ana stumble out of Paris

Tuesday, May 31, 2005

Teenagers Sesil Karatantcheva and Ana Ivanovic saw their surprise runs into the second week of the 2005 French Open end Tuesday afternoon. The 15-year-old Bulgarian had her chances against Elena Likhovtseva, but could not find her way into the semi-finals, while the 29th seed from Serbia posed little opposition to Nadia Petrova.

"I really got tired," Karatantcheva admitted after the 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 defeat on Court Philippe Chatrier. "She was very consistent, so I really couldn't do anything. And then again, I don't really think I believe in myself. I think things just happened too fast for me. I don't think I'm really prepared for this."

Yet, despite that lack of confidence, Karatantcheva had the final four clearly in sight against the Russian veteran.

After winning the first set quickly, she settled into a defensive style, simply retrieving until Likhovtseva erred, which she did often (57 unforced errors). Her patient approach placed Karatantcheva two points from 5-3 in the second set, then one away from 4-2 in the third. But the spotlight of the semi-finals was apparently too bright.

Shaky service games cost Karatantcheva that second set edge. In the third, a backhand into the net opened the door for the 29-year-old to break back to 3-3. And then, serving to keep herself in the match, Karatantcheva did not win a single point.

"That's the saddest part, I guess, because I know I could have had won," Karatantcheva said. "I really felt really close to, you know, being to the semis. But again, once you're up there, really things are different than they look from the outside."

Ivanovic, meanwhile, seemed overwhelmed from the outset against the number seven seed on Court Suzanne Lenglen. The 17-year-old never found a rhythm on her serve and was consistently on the defensive as Petrova punished the baseline with deep ground-strokes.

"I'm pretty happy with a first quarterfinal, but a little bit disappointed with this match today," Ivanovic said. "I think I could give much more. And that's why I don't feel so great right now."

The Russian, into her second semi-final here in three years, went deep into almost every one of Ivanovic's service games, breaking her three times in the second set alone to cruise to the 6-2, 6-2 decision in just over an hour. Petrova will face 2003 Roland Garros champion Justine Henin-Hardenne in one of Thursday's semi-finals.

"She played very well. But I think I was also a little bit emotionally empty from yesterday," conceded Ivanovic, referring to her three-set victory over Francesca Schiavone. "I just knew I had to go for some shots because she's very good player and I had to put her under pressure. But sometimes I really wanted too much."

Still, there are no complaints from Ivanovic after the first significant Grand Slam result of her career, including an upset of Amelie Mauresmo.

"Definitely this was great experience. I learn so much. I really know what should I do and what things I have to do to improve my game," she said

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Majestic Federer closes in on Parisian crown

Tuesday, May 31, 2005

Top-ranked Roger Federer took another step closer towards the Roland Garros title on Tuesday following his straight set whitewash of unheralded Romanian Victor Hanescu to storm into the last four for the first time ever.

The 23-year-old world No1 played like slick tennis to outclass his 23-year-old unseeded opponent 6-2, 7-6 (3), 6-3 in just over two hours on Court Philippe Chatrier.

"Today I can be pleased. This was one of my best matches ever here," said the Swiss stylist who gunned down seven aces, cracked an astounding 56 winners to Hanescu's 17 while committing 36 mistakes.

Federer, who has yet to drop a set in the tournament, is now just two matches away from unlocking the secret of success on clay here and making history as the sixth man to capture all four Grand Slam titles.

He enters uncharted territory in the semi finals and is slated to meet young teenage standout Rafael Nadal, the only man who has looked capable of sending the Swiss packing.

The Spanish No4 seed disciplined countryman David Ferrer in straight sets later on Tuesday.

"Everybody's been looking forward a little bit to this one, both of us being for the first time in the semi finals of a French Open," explained Federer. "So it's going to be really interesting to see. For me, it's a big moment. It's one of those chances to maybe walk away with the title here."

"I have now two days ahead of me to ponder over things and see what can happen for the future, and I hope to be in great shape for that match against Nadal," he added.

The Swiss, who is making his seventh appearance here having played every year since making his Grand Slam debut as a wild card in 1999, made a ragged start, committing seven unforced errors in seven minutes. But once his game settled in, the all-court genius was simply irresistible, breaking a hapless Hanescu in the third and seventh game to secure the first set.

In the second set, the 90-ranked Romanian, the lowest-ranked quarter finalist here since 100-ranked Ukrainian Andrei Medvedev and 140-ranked Uruguayan Marcelo Filipini made it to the same stage in 1999, stood strong and did not crack under the relentless pressure despite conceding his serve in the third game.

The feisty Hanescu broke right back for the first time of the match and grew in confidence as the match progressed, planting gorgeous one-handed backhands down-the-line to go up 5-4.

Federer pressed Hanescu in the eleventh game but squandered two break point opportunities to take the lead. The Swiss maintained his composure and ran away with the second set tie-breaker.

In the third set, the four-time Grand Slam champion took it up another notch to go up 5-1 as Hanescu simply ran out of steam. Up 40-15 on his serve, Federer failed to capitalize on his two match points as he double faulted three-times to concede his serve before finally putting out his opponent for good in the ninth game on his fourth match point.

"It was an awkward moment," Federer said of his double-faulting. "It didn't happen to me for a long long time. I was too much in my zone. I was so happy the way I was playing, and making my first semi-finals appearance that I got a little overexcited there, I guess, just for a couple of minutes", he added.

"I'm really hitting my shots beautiful. My forehand was working like I wanted it to work. Suddenly you serve two doubles and you don't feel so good anymore. I think the last time I double faulted three times was in the satellites. That was eight years ago."

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Resurgent Henin wipes out Sharapova

Tuesday, May 31, 2005

Justine Henin-Hardenne put on her best performance of the fortnight by powering past Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova 6-4 6-2 to reach the semifinals.

Choosing to swing away at times with the rangy Russian instead of merely counterpunching, the 2003 Roland Garros champion completely zoned in the match, mixing in deft slices with see-eye forehands. Henin, who came back from two match points down against Svetlana Kuznetsova on Monday, has hit her stride.

"I changed a lot all my shots, and that helped me to win the match pretty easily," she said. "I was feeling great on the court. I felt I had a lot of time, and I was in the good rhythm, and I served very good. Everything was really positive. It was very important to win [against Kuznetsova]. Sometimes if you don't play good, you don't feel well, but you have to win, that helps to find the confidence. And today when I woke up, I felt I had nothing to lose and so I didn't have the same kind of pressure."

The Russian attempted to match the Belgian blow for blow, but Henin kept her off balance with a variety of well placed serves and heavy groundstrokes. It was clear going into the match that Sharapova would have to try to hit through the Belgian, who ran her into the ground in Berlin three weeks ago. Sharapova did mix in a number of effective net approaches, but when push came to shove, she couldn't deliver enough big blows when on the run.

"She served a lot better than I did and she got a lot more free points than I did," Sharapova said. "It was really close in the first set, and then I just went for too much at the wrong times. In the second set, it was just I had issues, she was putting a little more pressure on my second serve, and I went for too much on my serve and didn't have a good percentage in the second set. She feels the ball, she sees the ball well. With having said that, she just has a lot of confidence. You hit a big shot and she can come up with a heavier shot, with a tougher shot, closer to the line. She's on a big winning streak and it's giving her more and more confidence."

Henin showed more than a fair amount of touch in the match, caressing in five drop shots, but it was her remarkable serving performance that pushed her through, as she won 66 percent of her service points, while Sharapova, who couldn't get her kick serve going, only won 37 percent of her second serve points. Henin simply tore the big girl's serves apart.

Henin-Hardenne will play another Russian, Nadia Petrova, who ended the dream of 17-year-old Ana Ivanovic of Serbia and Montenegro with a 6-2 6-2 victory.

She is now on a 22-match clay court-winning streak, having won her last three tournaments in Charleston, Warsaw and Berlin. After spending much of last year and part of this year recovering from a debilitating virus and knee injury, the Belgian appears to have found her once dominant form, which led her three Grand Slam titles.

"I think my game is probably better than it ever has been in the past. I know I came back to my level, step after step," she said. "But the way still is very long. I enjoy my game so much. That's the biggest difference from what I live in 2003. I feel very lucky I can play, and every shot I hit, it's just a great pleasure."

Sharapova expects Henin to win her second crown.

"I would be surprised if she didn't win it," she said. "I would really be surprised. If she keeps her level up, and the way she played today, I think she has a great chance."

Edited May 31, 2005 by Vardan

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Nadal storms into semi-final with Federer

Tuesday, May 31, 2005

Spanish juggernaut Rafael Nadal made the much anticipated semi-final match-up with world number one Roger Federer a reality Tuesday afternoon with a resounding 7-5 6-2 6-0 decision over compatriot David Ferrer.

The 18-year-old lefty maintained his magnificent form against the 20th seed by surviving a gruelling opening set and then dominating the last two. Nadal, the fourth seed in Paris, will play his first career Grand Slam semi Friday against the Swiss, who took care of Romanian Victor Hanescu earlier Tuesday.

In that first set, serving 4-5, Nadal stared down three set points. Back at deuce, a gorgeous forehand passer that twisted into the back corner of the court left Ferrer smiling in disbelief. Nadal eventually held and then broke to 6-5 with the help of another near-perfect forehand down-the-line pass. He faced a break point, though, in the next game, but consecutive errors allowed Nadal to hold again and take the set.

As Ferrer suffered through lower back pain in the second, Nadal raced to 5-1 with acrobatic point after acrobatic point.

In the third, the winner of five clay court events this year would not be denied a quick exit. He broke at love to start the set, rescued his ensuing service game from 15-40 and then broke from 40-0 down. Ferrer had nothing left, and Nadal sprinted through the next three games for his 21st straight victory.

At 18 years, 355 days, Nadal is now the seventh-youngest male Roland Garros semi-finalist.

Nadal and Federer have met twice before, both times at the hardcourt event in Miami. Last year, Nadal won 6-3 6-3. This April, he led two-sets-to-one before Federer stormed back for a five-set win in the final.

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Outsiders gunning for glory Wednesday

Tuesday, May 31, 2005

They may be lesser lights even back home, where they have often been overshadowed by the exploits of their more illustrious countrymen. But today is their big day, and for two of them, semi-final glory awaits. Nikolay Davydenko v Tommy Robredo and Guillermo Canas v Mariano Puerta are the French Open quarter-finals Wednesday.

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Nikolay Davydenko (12) - Tommy Robredo (15)

Nikolay Davydenko and Tommy Robredo are about to play the most important match of their careers. They have each reached a Grand Slam quarter once before, Davydenko at this year's Australian Open and Robredo here at the French two years ago, but both look better armed now to make the last four. The Russian has had a sensational year and stands poised to burst into the Top 10 whatever the result against Robredo. A title in St. Polten and semi-final appearances in Barcelona and Hamburg showed his pre-tournament pedigree on clay. His brilliant display in beating last year's finalist Guillermo Coria ( in the last round even brought back memories of Yevgeny Kafelnikov, no less, who was French Open champion in 1996.

Robredo just loves Roland Garros. He has always reached at least the third round in five appearances, and would appear to be right on top of his game again. His breathtaking last set heroics against Marat Safin showed he really means business this year. Not many players outlast the mighty Russian, but Robredo managed it, pulling off a series of improbable passing shots and brave volleys to prevail 8-6 in the fifth.

This really is a tough one to call. Some pundits fancy Robredo, given his greater maturity in clay, but the Spaniard was quick to counter a journalist who attempted to persuade him that he had an easy run to the final: "Sure it would be easy if I was playing you (laughs). But against Davydenko, I'm not so sure. He's slap bang on from right now and should not be underestimated."

Time spent on court becomes more and more of an issue as the tournament wears on, and here the pair are very close (9 hours 51 minutes for Davydenko versus 10 hours 13 for Robredo), but the Russian did require the assistance of the doctor before beating Coria: "I was in pain. I couldn't move. I ran a lot, back and forth, side to side, and I need the help of the doctor."

The two have only met once, and that was a long time ago, five years in fact. Robredo ran out an easy winner 6/1, 6/3 in Seville.

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Guillermo Canas (9) - Mariano Puerta

Mariano Puerta has been in astonishing form so far. The powerful Argentinean has only dropped one set so far, against the up-and-coming Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka, and has spent just 8 hours, 8 minutes on court. Puerta returned to competition last July after serving a nine-month suspension for a positive test for clenbuterol (an anabolic steroid), and worked his way back up the rankings with a series of clay court titles on the Challenger circuit. This season he triumphed in Casablanca and finished runner-up in Buenos-Aires. On his current form, Puerta is quite simply a serious contender for the title.

Guillermo Canas has surprised many by returning to form at just the right time. The 27-year-old has always been dangerous on clay, but had struggled this year to get past the third round anywhere. The recent influence of Gustavo Kuerten, who now shares the same coach, Hernan Gumy, has apparently helped Canas to believe in himself again: "It's important for me to know someone like 'Guga'. He is the most emblematic South American around. He was #1 in the world and has won Roland Garros three times. I learn a lot from him. And getting to know him off court has been fantastic."

Canas and Puerta know each other very well having played for years at club level back home, and Guillermo is a big fan of his opponent: "Mariano can play way above his ranking. I know him very, very well. He's playing great right now, probably at his best."

Mariano Puerta is adamant he will remain focussed despite the identity of his adversary: "Some players say it's less stressful playing a compatriot but I am going to try to forget all that, the fact that we are friends and have known each other for over 15 years. I'm just gonna concentrate on my tennis."

Guillermo Canas saved two match points in one of the longest matches of the tournament, a 5 hour, 4 minute epic against Paul-Henri Mathieu in the third round. Then he should have faced heavyweight Nicolas Kiefer, and must have been wondering how he was going to last out, but the German pulled out injured. That was a real break for the Argentinean who had two days to rest up his tired limbs.

Puerta is the harder hitting of the two, and possesses one of the cleanest forehands around. Cañas is one of the best defensive players on the circuit. He won't knock you over, but he'll grind you down and wear you out. Puerta has to take the initiative, pummel Canas and go for his winners.

Cañas beat Puerta in the final of the Espinho Challenger in Portugal back in 1998 6-1, 2-6, 6-2. Puerta took revenge in the quarter-final of the Mexico Open 6-2, 6-3 two years later. Both those matches were on clay, but are consigned to distant history in sporting terms and should have little relevance here.

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Pierce blows Out Davenport

Tuesday, May 31, 2005

France's Mary Pierce hit her stride and destroyed No. 1 Lindsay Davenport 6-3, 6-2 and raced into a semifinals match-up with Elena Likhovtseva.

In a sterling display of power tennis, Pierce rang up 28 winners in the one hour, 21 minute contest, dictating with her serve and blowtorch return. The tall blonde was rarely threatened in the day, winning the vast majority of their short rallies by painting every line in site.

"I was like almost having a breakdown 20 minutes before the match," Pierce laughed. "But when I was on the court and hitting the ball, they were just going in. Sometimes I missed them wide by [an inch] and they were going on the line. I even shanked a ball and it just went in deep for 'a winner.' I was like, 'Wow, okay, this is my day.' Take advantage of this."

Most importantly, the 30-year-old Pierce absolutely dominated Davenport's second serves, as the American was only able to win 29 percent of those points and consequently, was never able to dictate play.

"She is playing well," Davenport said. "When she's on, she does hit the lines a lot. I never got into a rhythm of ever controlling a point. I always felt like I was always trying to get balls in and never really felt all that much control with moving the balls around/It was more like, 'Oh, gosh, hope this goes in. She started off great. So while she was playing very well, I didn't have the tools today to be capable of really challenging her and getting her out of her strike zone.

Amazingly, Pierce came into the contest with an 2-8 record against the American and was 1-2 on clay against her. But Davenport -who had come back from the depths to upend Kim Clijsters in the previous round- never found her stride on the day, while Pierce was calm and cozy on her beloved Court Philippe Chatrier.

Pierce, who won the title here in 2000, now has a legitimate shot at winning the title, even though 2003 Roland Garros champion Justine Henin Hardenne will be favored by many. Pierce is an entirely different player on these courts, seeming to know exactly where each ball will go and what strategies to employ against every style of player.

"I was like 'Fly Like an Eagle - like gliding in the sky like an eagle," Pierce said. "I was very relaxed. I could release my shots. I was attacking, aggressive, and that's why I really started to build up a lot of pressure."

Should Pierce beat Likhovtseva and Henin best Nadia Petrova, Davenport would gives the Frenchwoman a chance.

"Justine has an incredible clay court record. I would think that Mary would be a heavy underdog. But you never know if she has the crowd and the ball sitting there. But Justine does an incredible job of getting balls back in and really mixing it up. The ball's not going to be just right at Mary's strike zone, so she's going to have to play well."

Pierce reached the final here in 1994, falling to Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario and in 2000, upset Monica Seles and Martina Hingis before wasting Conchita Martinez in the final.

Had she not suffered ankle, back and abdominal injuries right after her title run, she may have reached the number one ranking. But she's kept plugging and appears to have rediscovered her game at age 30.

"It's just been a really interesting journey," she said. "It's been really tough. I had some really difficult moments. I just really appreciate and thank the people who have always been there for me and helped me in those moments and to help me also achieve what I wanted still to do in tennis and what I still believed I had in me. This is just the beginning for me of proving, confirming what I feel inside me, which I never doubt.

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