But I have nothing to lose." Indeed, she has already beaten Clijsters this year, prompting the Belgian to say last night: "Ai hardly ever makes any mistakes and will always make you work for each point."Sugiyama's fellow Japanese and conqueror of Hantuchova, Shinobu Asagoe, is through to face Davenport after beating another unseeded player, Francesca Schiavone, of Italy, 7-5, 6-2. Davenport watched the final set of her next opponent's last match, leading her to an optimistic forecast last night "It's going to be a match that I will be able to dominate. Sugiyama, who will be 28 on the day of the women's final, overcame Natalie Dechy, the French No 23 seed, 6-4, 6-4.Having lost to Dechy at Eastbourne during the build-up to Wimbledon, Sugiyama attributed the reversal to greater aggression and confidence about playing on grass. However, it counted for nothing as the American, wearing specially made "orthotic" shoes, brushed her aside 6-2, 6-2.Ai Sugiyama, the No 14 seed from Japan, equalled her best Wimbledon performance, which she posted on her fourth visit seven years ago, by qualifying for the last 16. She has also complained of lacking motivation, but she still carried too much class and clout for Cara Black, of Zimbabwe. "I think I played even better than in my earlier matches, served better, returned well and moved well.
Even when we had some tough rallies, I still felt I was dominating and that she couldn't really hurt me."Lindsay Davenport, the 1999 champion and No 5 seed, has been struggling with an injury to her left foot, on which she will have surgery in November. Opening up the court with ease, Clijsters reeled off six games in a row to wrap up the second set in half an hour."I played a really good match," Clijsters said. The 20-year-old, who also beat Reeves here last year, has conceded seven games in three straight-sets victories.Reeves, who hails from a cheese-making town in Wisconsin, is remembered for having donned a "cheese-head" - a triangular, cheese-coloured hat traditionally favoured by supporters of the Green Bay Packers gridiron team - in the Australian Open. That was definitely the death of me there, though I wasn't upset. I really wasn't prepared - it was just a real fight against myself."Clijsters, the No 2 seed and half of the dual Belgian challenge to the Williams sisters, continued her rampage through the early rounds at the expense of Reeves overcoming the American 6-1, 6-2. Maybe she was daunted by the sheer presence and physicality of the elder Williams on the other side of the net.
Either way, Petrova served wretchedly and seemed unwilling or unable to move around the court. The result meant that the 21-year-old Russian won only one game more than when the pair met here two years ago.Perhaps it was Centre Court nerves. The No 29 seed, having reached the semi-finals of the French Open, might have been expected to run the 2001 champion and fourth seed far closer than 6-1, 6-2. Five days into the female equivalent, and with half of the last 16 already decided, Daniela Hantuchova remained the only one of the leading 10 seeds to have lost a set by the time rain forced the covers to be brought on late in the afternoon.Petrova's performance against Venus Williams epitomised the dearth of credible competition for the Williams sisters, Clijsters, Justine Henin-Hardenne and a smattering of others. The lack of depth in the women's game was further under underlined yesterday when the two top seeds who were in action, Venus Williams and Kim Clijsters, breezed into the last 16 with almost embarrassing ease against Nadia Petrova and Samantha Reeves respectively. The men's singles conjured an upset at the first time of asking, when Clijsters' boyfriend, Lleyton Hewitt, saw his tenure as champion ended by an opponent not even ranked among the world's top 200 players. Mirnyi will now play the Swede Jonas Bjorkman in the fourth round..
