Dementyeva says facing Mauresmo in Paris will be tough

After she defeated Lindsay Davenport at the French Open yesterday, Elena Dementyeva, a Russian tennis player, said that it would be difficult for her to play against Amelie Mauresmo in Paris.

"I played against Mauresmo several times but the coming match is likely to be the most difficult for me, since she will be playing before a partisan audience," Ms. Dementyeva said.

At the same time, she noted that she has had vast experience playing against Amelie Mauresmo and that Mauresmo would fight until the end.

"I do not expect any allowances from her," Ms. Dementyeva, who is ranked 10th by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA), confessed. "I know that she will try hard to play her best tennis and beat me."

The two tennis players have faced six times and Ms. Mauresmo has won five times and Ms. Dementyeva has won only once.

Elena Dementyeva said that she was ready to play even better during the second week of the French Open.

"Since I have never played on the Roland Garros center court, I am looking forward to this event and, in general, I am happy that I am staying here," she noted.

Amelie Mauresmo and Elena Dementyeva will play each other in the quarterfinals of the French Open.

Elena Dementyeva was the first person in quarterfinals of this year's French Open after she defeated Lindsay Davenport, ranked 4th by the WTA, on Sunday.

The first set lasted only 23 minutes. The Russian played with accuracy and power, whereas Ms. Davenport made many errors. The slower American was simply outmatched by the speed of her opponent. The Russian made Ms. Davenport rush to different corners of the court and as a result, the set ended in a 6-1 victory for Ms. Dementyeva.

Ms. Davenport asked for a doctor to examine her right knee in the second set when her opponent was winning 2-1.

The match continued after that but the American playercould not match Ms. Dementyeva.

When the score was 3-1 on Ms. Dementyeva's serve, it became clear that Lindsay Davenport had essentially stopped trying. She did not run to shots and only played hard when the situation was in her favor.

The only poor aspect of Ms. Dementyeva's game was the excessive number of double faults - six - she made. She made three double faults in the fifth game of the second set.

It took the Russian player about an hour to beat Lindsay Davenport 6-1, 6-3.