Southern California's own Lindsay Davenport continues to get more and more ready for tennis' prime time.
She took one more step on her road back to major tournament semifinals and finals with a late night 6-2, 7-5 victory Tuesday in the women's Pacific Life Open.
Davenport, 31, of Laguna Beach, who took time off to have a baby last year and said at the time that she didn't plan to come back, has won four tournaments since that comeback late last fall and is now setting her sights on enhancing that comeback with a successful showing at this women's tier I event.
In her fourth round match, one that began just before 11 p.m. on center court, she took out sixth-seeded Marion Bartoli of France. But it wasn't really an upset, even though Davenport is seeded 24th here.
Bartoli's success story is her appearance in last year's Wimbledon final. Davenport's includes titles in three of the four majors, the Australian, Wimbledon and U.S. Open, not to mention 89 careeer titles, including singles and doubles. She missed most of 2007 but continues to gather ratings points now.
Against Bartoli, who hits two-handed from both sides, Davenport ran through the first set and then stumbled as bit as Bartoli went to a 5-3 lead. The French woman, serving at that point, lost a challenge when the electronic Hawkeye machine rule Davenport's shot good on the baseline. That got her to break point, she converted and then held serve easily for 5-5.
Now, like somebody in a rush to catch a bus, she broke Bartoli at love, then served three aces at 6-5 and got the match point with a 109 mile-an-hour first serve and a forehand winner off Bartoli's return.
Davenport's next match will be a real test. She will face No. 3 Jelena Jankovic of Serbia.
In the other evening match on the women's side, No. 1 Ana Ivanovic out lasted France's Francesca Schiavone, 2-6, 7-5, 6-2.
"In the first set," Ivanovic said, "I had a lot of mis-hits, but I think I fought pretty well. In the third set, I basically played point by point and didn't think about the score too much."
Ivanovic next plays Russia's Vera Zvonareva.
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