Steffi Graf, on the comeback trail, took less than an hour to rout overmatched Romanian Ruxandra Dragomir today and reach the quarterfinals of the German Open.
The top-seeded Graf, seeking her 10th title, beat Dragomir 6-3, 6-2 in her second match since being sidelined by a knee injury for more than three months.Graf lashed a backhand down the line at match point in 54 minutes against the 15th seed, after showing she still has both the hard serve and formidable forehand that had made her a No. 1.
The German, now ranked No. 2 in the world, had played a rusty and tentative match Tuesday before beating American Chanda Rubin in three sets. That was her first match since the layoff, which cost her the top ranking to Martina Hingis.
Lindsay Davenport, also coming back from a layoff, fended off three match points, but still made her earliest exit from a tournament this year.
Sandine Testud of France ousted the American, 7-6 (11-9), 7-6 (9-7) in the second round of an event where 16 of the world's Top 20 are entered.
The American, who had a first-round bye, was victimized by her unforced errors in her first match since taking a one-month vacation.
"It was probably the worst I've felt on the court in a long time," said Davenport, the World No. 5, who also let three set points slip away in the first tie break.
"I wasn't match tough. I felt like I just couldn't put any pressure on her on the big points," she added.
Twelfth-seeded Mary Pierce also struggled before edging Czech Sandra Kleinova, 6-2, 3-6, 6-2, while No. 11 Brenda Schulz-McCarthy of the Netherlands pulled a hamstring and dropped out trailing 1-0 against Belgium`s Sabine Appelmans.
Second-seeded Jana Novotna and No. 4 Conchita Martinez swing into action later today, along with Russian teenager Anna Kournikova.
Davenport, who took a vacation after Amelia Island last month, let a 5-2 lead slip away in the first set as both her forehand and hard serve proved unreliable.
"Clay isn't my favorite surface anyhow," Davenport said, "But I played real miserable out there."
Italian Open
ROME - Scott Draper outlasted Thomas Muster in a marathon match today and made the third-seeded Austrian the latest upset victim in the Italian Open.
The Australian won 7-6 (7-4), 5-7, 7-5 in the nearly three-hour battle to end Muster's bid for a record third consecutive Italian title.
Muster, in a clay court slump this season, joined No. 1 Pete Sampras and No. 2 Michael Chang in an early sweep of the top seeds in the $2.3 million tournament.
The unseeded Jim Courier, who had knocked out Sampras in the first round, moved ahead with a 7-6 (7-5) 6-2 victory over Spanish qualifier Albert Portas.
Hernan Gumy, who upset Chang, could not keep up the momentum against Sergi Bruguera, like Chang a former French Open champion. Bruguera won 6-1, 6-4 in the match between unseeded players.
No. 6 Goran Ivanisevic advanced easily, beating Christian Ruud 6-2, 6-2.
The Draper-Muster match, played in 89-degree weather under a blazing midday sun, became a survival test.