New York, Nov 19: Lindsay Davenport turned it on when she had to, while Monica Seles benefitted from some woeful serving to book the last two quarter-finals berths at the $2 million Chase Championships.World number one Davenport, two points from defeat at 4-5 in the second set and trailing 15-30 in the 10th game, shifted into high gear to defeat battling Frenchwoman Sandrine Testud 4-6, 7-6 (7-4), 6-0 and reach the last eight in the elite, season-ending championships.Seles, suffering from a mysterious stomach malady, was let off the hook by teenager Anna Kournikova, who deserved a thank you for service well above and beyond the lines drawn on the blue carpet at Madison Square Garden. The Russian contributed 17 double faults to Seles' 6-4, 6-3 victory.The victory boosted the fifth-seeded Seles into a marquee showdown against Steffi Graf, who after battling injuries most of the season has notched two tournament titles in a row coming into the championships. Davenport's comeback victory set up arendezvous with another Frenchwoman, Nathalie Tauziat, in the last eight. Earlier yesterday, sixth seed Mary Pierce of France, who also has won her last two tournaments, advanced with a 6-1, 6-0 drubbing of South African Amanda Coetzer. Pierce will meet Martina Hingis in the quarters.Dominique Van Roost of Belgium meets Irina Spirlea of Romania today, before Graf and Seles square off.Julie advancesPATTAYA, THAILAND: Second-seeded Frenchwoman Julie Halard-Decugis has defeated Australia's Nicole Pratt to become the first player to advance into the quarter-finals of the 10th Volvo Women's Open.Halard-Decugis, ranked number 27 by the WTA Tour, was undeterred by high heat and humidity in her 6-1, 7-5 victory yesterday.Eighth-seeded Wang Shi-Ting of Taiwan battled from the baselines with Japan's Yuka Yoshida, making it to the last eight with a 6-2, 7-5 victory.In other matches, American Kristina Brandi rallied to ease past Laurence Courtois of Belgium 5-7, 6-4, 6-3, and Taiwanese-AmericanMeilen Tu took three sets to eliminate Adriana Gersi of the Czech Republic 6-4, 4-6, 6-4.In first-round doubles, Benjamas Saengaram of Thailand and Japan's Shinobu Asagoe defeated Olga Barabanschikova of Belarus and Australian Louise Pleming 5-7, 7-6 (7-5), 7-5.
