FRENCH OPEN Davenport in quarterfinals

She defeated two-time finalist Kim Clijsters in three sets.
PARIS (AP) -- Lindsay Davenport phoned home with news every bit as shocking to her husband at it was to herself.
She had just reached the French Open quarterfinals Sunday by beating two-time finalist Kim Clijsters, coming back from a set and a break down and winning her fourth straight three-setter at the Grand Slam event where she had played the least and done the worst. Just a month ago, Davenport considered skipping it altogether, no matter that she was ranked No. 1.
It was 12:46 p.m. in Paris, 3:46 a.m. back home in California, when Davenport watched Clijsters' final forehand sail long to end the match 1-6, 7-5, 6-3. Looking more surprised than elated, celebrating only with a nod and a momentarily clenched fist, Davenport walked off and reached for her cell phone to call her husband, Jon Leach.
"I had to wake him up," said Davenport, who will meet 2000 champion Mary Pierce in the quarters. "He was floored."
So was everyone else.
Only American left
The only American, male or female, left in the French among the 22 who started the tournament, Davenport still thinks it's way too early to talk about her winning the title. Now, at least, in the No. 21-seeded Pierce, she faces a player with similarly hard, flat strokes in a match that's more to her liking. Pierce had to go to 11 match points before beating No. 8 Patty Schnyder, 6-1, 1-6, 6-4.
Davenport has hardly been the only surprise of this year's French. Fifteen-year-old Sesil Karatantcheva, the Bulgarian who upset Venus Williams in the third round, advanced to the quarters by downing Emmanuelle Gagliardi 7-5, 6-3.
"I was basically scared to win," Karatantcheva said. "I guess the pressure really is getting to me. I hope for the quarters I'll be more relaxed."
Karatantcheva will play No. 16 Elena Likhovtseva of Russia, a 7-6 (3), 5-7, 7-5 victor over No. 4 Elena Dementieva. Another Russian, No. 7 Nadia Petrova reached the quarters with a 7-5, 3-6, 6-4 victory over No. 12 Elena Bovina.
Rain suspended play in the evening with Russia's Maria Sharapova leading Spain's Nuria Llagostera Vives 6-2, 3-3.
Federer advances
Men's No. 1 Roger Federer advanced easily to the quarters for the first time since 2001, beating 1998 champ and No. 14 seed Carlos Moya 6-1, 6-4, 6-3. Federer, seeking the only major title he doesn't own, next goes against unseeded Victor Hanescu, who upset No. 10 David Nalbandian 6-3, 4-6, 5-7, 6-1, 6-2.
The match between No. 4 Rafael Nadal of Spain and No. 23 Sebastien Grosjean of France was suspended by rain. Nadal led 6-4, 3-6, 3-0.
No. 9 Guillermo Canas and No. 28 Nicolas Kiefer set up a quarterfinal duel after completing victories in third-round matches suspended Saturday because of darkness. Canas overcame two match points to edge Frenchman Paul-Henri Mathieu 6-3, 7-6 (4), 2-6, 6-7 (5), 8-6. Kiefer defeated Igor Andreev 6-4, 7-6 (7), 3-6, 6-4.
Against lesser opponents in the first three rounds this past week, Davenport eventually found her stride enough to carve out three-set wins. Against Clijsters, that seemed unlikely.
Unlikely happened
But the unlikely happened, thanks to Clijsters' gift of 11 double faults and a flurry of other unforced errors after she had taken a 3-1 lead in the second set. Davenport stepped up the pressure, returning serves with more authority, following shots in, keeping Clijsters back. It was never a work of art, but Davenport made the most of her newfound opportunity.
"She's been winning ugly, but she's showed glimpses of great tennis and flashes of subpar tennis," Davenport's coach, Adam Peterson, said.
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