Davenport, Sharapova lead way into quarters

WIMBLEDON, England -- Former champion Lindsay Davenport reached the Wimbledon quarterfinals Monday with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Vera Zvonareva.

Also advancing to the women's quarters were two of the game's most promising teenagers -- 17-year-old Maria Sharapova and 19-year-old Karolina Sprem.

Sebastian Grosjean was the first player to make the men's quarterfinals, beating Robby Ginepri 6-2, 6-2, 7-6 (4). The Frenchman, who reached the semis here last year, hasn't dropped a set in four matches.

The fifth-seeded Davenport, opening play on Centre Court, needed six set points to close out the first set before finally converting with a deep forehand to the corner that Zvonareva couldn't handle.

The 1999 champion fell behind 0-3 in the second set but won five of the last six games, ending the match with a swinging serve for her sixth ace. The 28-year-old Californian reached the quarters for the seventh time in 11 appearances.

Davenport will next face Sprem, who beat Magdalena Maleeva 6-4, 6- 4. The Croat, playing with a heavily-taped right ankle, hit a backhand winner on her fifth match point, then curtsied to the crowd on Court 18.

"Sprem is a lot more consistent from the baseline," Davenport said. "I think it's going to be a tougher baseline match."

Sprem upset Venus Williams, a former two-time champion, in the second round last week. She benefited from a scoring mistake by chair umpire Ted Watts, who gave her a point she didn't earn in the second of two tiebreakers.

Sharapova, considered perhaps the most talented of a crop of young Russian women, advanced to her second consecutive Grand Slam quarterfinal by beating 31-year-old American Amy Frazier 6-4, 7-5 on Court 1. Frazier, playing in her 16th Wimbledon, squandered leads in both sets and undermined her chances with 12 double-faults.

Frazier led 4-3 in the first set and had a game point for 5-3, but Sharapova won three straight games and Frazier double-faulted on set point. The pattern was similar in the second set. Frazier led 5-4 on serve, then double-faulted on break point. Two games later, she served two more doubles in the final game.

Sharapova, who had five aces and 25 winners, blew kisses to the crowd. The Russian, who has a modeling contract, has been compared to Anna Kournikova. But while Kournikova has never won a tour singles title, Sharapova has won three, including the Wimbledon warmup tournament in Birmingham, England.

Born in Siberia, Sharapova moved to a Black Sea resort at 2, began playing tennis at 4, and entered Nick Bollettieri's Tennis Academy in Florida at 9. She also has worked in Los Angeles with Robert Lansdorp.

Shrapova next plays Japan's Ai Sugiyama, who beat Thailand's Tamarine Tanasugarn, 6-3, 7-5 to become the first Asian quarterfinalist at Wimbledon since Indonesia's Yayuk Basuki in 1997.

After two complete washouts in the first week forced organizers to stage play on the middle Sunday for only the third time in history, 12 out of 16 fourth-round matches were scheduled for Monday.

Two rain-delayed women's third-round matches were completed early Monday, with 16-year-old Tatiana Golovin finishing off a 6-3, 2-6, 6- 3 win over Emmanuelle Gagliardi to set up a meeting against two-time defending champion Serena Williams.

"Playing Serena is going to be amazing," said the Russian-born Golovin, who plays for France. "It's my second time playing against somebody in the top 10. I'm just really excited."

Italy's Silvia Farina Elia completed a 2-6, 6-4, 7-5 win over Virginia Ruano Pascual, and will face No. 4 Amelie Mauresmo in the round of 16.

The men's schedule featured top-seeded Roger Federer against 6- foot-10 Ivo Karlovic, No. 2 Andy Roddick against Alexander Popp, 2002 champion Lleyton Hewitt against Carlos Moya, and Tim Henman versus Mark Philippoussis.

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