Davenport proceeds to semifinal<\/p>\n
Bruce Emond, The Jakarta Post\/Nusa Dua, Bali<\/p>\n
When Lindsay Davenport is in free flow, with her serve
\nthundering down and crisp groundstrokes skirting the baseline,
\nfew players can keep her in check.<\/p>\n
It was the case on Friday evening at the US$225,000 Wismilak
\nInternational here, with a dominant Davenport sweeping aside
\nItaly's Maria Elena Camerin 6-3, 6-1 to reach the last four.<\/p>\n
The top seed and world number two still made mistakes -- most
\nnotably four quick unforced errors in the first game and a gimme
\nhigh forehand volley that she smacked out later in the set -- but
\nshe could always rely on her trusty weapons.<\/p>\n
Her performance was in contrast to her patchy play in her
\nsecond round match against Rika Fujiwara of Japan on Wednesday,
\nand it was her serve that did particular damage. She lost one
\npoint in her first three service games and, after falling behind
\n0-40 at 4-3, she saved four break points to hold.<\/p>\n
Camerin, a 23 year old semifinalist here last year, was
\nangered by an umpire overrule at 1-1, her advantage, in the first
\nset after a Davenport forehand landed close to the sideline. Even
\nwithout the racket slamming and anguished appeals that ensued,
\nit's highly doubtful she could have penetrated the American
\nfortress.<\/p>\n
With the Davenport serve rarely missing, coupled with deep,
\npounding groundstrokes, the hapless Italian was forced to hit off
\nher back foot most of the time.<\/p>\n
\"I played quite well tonight but I still think I can do
\nbetter,\" the 29-year-old Californian, who received a bye in the
\nfirst round, said.<\/p>\n
Next up in the semifinals on Saturday is seventh seed Na Li of
\nChina, who defeated Ukraine's Alona Bondarenko, the conqueror of
\nthird seeded Alicia Molik, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3.<\/p>\n
\"She played very well, she moves well and has a good
\nbackhand,\" Davenport said of Li, who she beat 6-4, 6-4 two weeks
\nago during the U.S. Open in their only career meeting. \"I was
\nimpressed.\"<\/p>\n
If Li and her three compatriots who made the main draw have
\nbeen one of the stories of the week, another has been the
\nItalians. Apart from Camerin, there was the all-Italian
\nquarterfinal between sixth seed Flavia Pennetta and fourth seed
\nFrancesca Schiavone.<\/p>\n
A tight, competitive contest between two friends, it stretched
\nto two hours, 36 minutes before Pennetta failed to convert on a
\npoint to hold at 5-5 in the third set, leaving Schiavone to grab
\nher second break point. She then served out the match for a 5-7,
\n6-3, 7-5 victory.<\/p>\n
With her never-say-die attitude on court, muscular physique
\nand quick humor, Schiavone has been a hit with fans and the local
\nmedia. \"This is who I am. I'm the same off the court as I am on
\nit,\" the 25 year old from Milan said on Friday.<\/p>\n
She plays second seeded Patty Schnyder of Switzerland on
\nSaturday. The 26 year old did what was needed to beat an erratic
\nAiko Nakamura of Japan 6-4, 6-1, the latter slamming a low smash
\ninto the net on matchpoint.<\/p>\n
\"She's a fighter. I know that she will try to use her spin to
\nmove me around the court,\" said Schnyder, who holds a 2-1
\nhead-to-head record against the Italian, winning their last
\nencounter 6-4 in the third set in San Diego in August.<\/p>",
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