Old head tells it like it is

When you look for sense, sophistication and intelligence both on and off the court, Lindsay Davenport invariably delivers.On a day where the seeded women gave little reason to doubt their high ranking, Davenport, Venus Willams, Kim Clijsters, Amelie Mauresmo and Jelena Dokic all found their way into the third round untroubled.

Davenport, the 1999 winner, when she beat Steffi Graf, looked remarkably potent despite her recent return from a three-month lay-off having damaged a bone in her knee, limited the big-hitting Alicia Molik to just six games, four in the first and two in the second set.

Dokic was equally as mean with her time, dominating the first set against Jennifer Hopkins 6-2 before a break for 6-4 handed her the match, while Clijsters' demolition of Maureen Drake, the 30-year-old Canadian, showed the veteran, if she was in any doubt, what sort of booming talent is in the ascendant.

But it was Davenport who spoke about a tennis lifestyle that is often boring and at times difficult for the large number of teenage girls who populate the tour.

"You've got to see the end of the tunnel and that is hard, when you are 17 or 18, to try to see the picture," she said.

One of the few players to finish high school before she launched her career, Davenport also pointed to the difficulties of attending college and playing professional tennis.

"I tend to look at it that in women's tennis that (college) would be pretty difficult. I couldn't imagine starting at 22. I mean I'm 25 and I feel my career is going towards the latter stages.

"I think that one would be very tough. Right now I'm looking at the end of this year to hopefully have three more years - 28 - and go from there."

For Irish tennis players Davenport's observations may explain why we have not had a player to break through into the mainstream tour in the open era. While there are now a number of Irish adolescent players hoping to make the break, the traditional college route appears to have been more of a safe bet than a deliberate move towards the professional ranks.

Venus Williams brushed past the Slovak Daniela Hantuchovo, ranked 58 in the world. Still 18, the lanky youngster, who was making her debut at Wimbledon and playing in only the third Grand Slam event of her career, had little in her armoury to match the power of the American second seed.

Typically, Willams still sought improvement to her game after the 6-1 6-2 raid, but once again was forced to answer questions over the family's humility, or lack of it.

"I don't read anything," she said. "I'm not interested in watching the match (on television).

"If I do I put it on mute. To me what's important in the end is how I view myself.

"When I'm injured or retired I'm still going to have to live with me. What the next person thinks is not so interesting," said the reigning champion.

Williams began rushing the match, trying to hit winners off impossible balls. But when the rain came down in the first set her more patient return changed the complexion of the match.

Despite Hantuchova's obvious raw talent, her game remained at a different level.

"First set I'd lots of opportunities but I wasn't capitalising. I was just kind of rushing. After the rain delay I said, 'if I don't hit the ball over the net, then she can't hit the ball over the net'. That kind of slowed things down in my mind."

Amelie Mauresmo, who suffered a catastrophic fit of nerves at the French Open, was the last big name through last night.

Facing the little-known Greek, 18-year-old Eleni Daniildou, who is ranked 141 in the world, sixth seed Mauresmo took time in the first set to break for 6-4 in blustery, cool conditions before a more convincing 6-2 in the second secured safe passage.

One surprise exit was the singing and dancing wannabe actor, Samantha Stevenson, who many had hoped would hang around a little longer.

Stevenson's mother, a former journalist, cut quite a spectacle when she marched into the press room at the Edgebaston warm-up competition and tore down all the negative coverage of her daughter. She then commanded the piano player in the hospitality section to halt because it was affecting her daughter's play.

Stevenson, who became the first women's qualifier to reach the semi-finals in 1999, went down 6-3 6-2 to Silvia Farina Elia and later complained of a back injury.