Davenport prepares for high jinks

The virtually invisible number three seed Lindsay Davenport yesterday advanced to the quarter-finals. No longer can she amble through each round in the shadows, ducking the limelight and feeling "mighty fine, thank you" that all of the attention is focused on Anna Kournikova, Steffi Graf, Venus Williams and the charmed Jelena Dokic.

Davenport, from the Los Angeles area of California, will now face last year's champion Jana Novotna and people will be paying attention. The 23-year-old US Open Champion, although playing down her chances of advancing past the grass-court specialist, will fear little if her game is together.

Yesterday against Barbara Schett there was evidence of her ability to battle in the face of solid play and the strength of her big serves and heavy ground-strokes, facets of Davenport's play that give her opponents so much trouble.

"Yeah, I'd a shaky first set out there. This was one time where a rain delay helped me enormously," said Davenport who trailed 5-3 in the first set when the heavens opened.

"This was one of those days I was very nervous. The delay allowed me to sort out how I had to play. I just wanted really badly to get to the quarterfinals and play Novotna."

Davenport is endearingly self-deprecating, but her tone suggests that although Novotna will go into the game as favourite, she is quite capable of beating the grass-court specialist.

"My grass-court game is average," she says. "Sometimes it is good, depending on what day it is. I've a very good record against the defending champion. I like playing against her.

"My attitude about last year's quarter-finals was that I ran into a player who was playing very well (Nathalie Tauziat). I felt nervous, she played well and it was over."

Davenport is now considered one of the more experienced players left in the draw and has twice reached the quarter-finals at Wimbledon, in 1994 and 1998. Ranked number one in the world until February of this year she then injured her wrist and missed five weeks of play. Her fitness may come into question, especially if the canny Novotna tries to move her around court. And she will.

As much as a contrast of styles, the quarter-final will hinge on physiques - Novotna nipping around and jinking, Davenport hitting heavy calibre stuff. "This time I feel that against Novotna, I've nothing to lose," she said yesterday.

A little jink from Davenport?