PARIS — Tennis, the French way, is played under a blue haze of cigarette smoke amid a symphony of cell phones, and the fashion-conscious fans love a player with style, like Venus Williams.
In her skimpy yellow dress, scooped out revealingly in the lower back, and with a single row of white beads adorning her hair, Williams is the most French of the foreigners, as Andre Agassi is among the men. They are players admired not just for the grace of their game but for the charisma they bring to the court.
Williams has what the French call "exotisme," an exotic presence. When she blends that with a gritty attitude and sweet strokes as she did in a 6-2, 6-2 victory Saturday over Emilie Loit to reach round 16 at the French Open, Williams can draw more cheers than even a Frenchwoman.
The cheers were never louder than on one particular shot early in the second set, when the No. 4-seeded Williams showed the kind of speed and range that she alone possesses among the women in tennis.
Loit, facing break point, flicked a surprise drop shot with Williams perched on the baseline. The ball was already on the way down, and the crowd was starting to applaud the apparent winner, when Williams galloped in, long arms and long legs at full extension, and caught the ball backhanded for a perfect pass.
The crowd roared as Williams strutted off the court, a smug look on her face that said, "Don't even think about dropping a shot on me."
Williams won this time in Court Suzanne Lenglen, the stadium named after the French star of the 1920s who first brought glamour to the game, not just at home but around the world. If Williams can ever win majors like Lenglen, who captured six French and six Wimbledon titles, she can have a similar influence.
The difference between Williams and another player who exudes that sense of "exotisme," Anna Kournikova, is that Williams wins tournaments. In fact, in daily voting among French Open fans, Williams is more popular than Kournikova and second only to Frenchwoman Amelie Mauresmo.
What is missing for Williams is a major title, something her younger sister, Serena, snared at the U.S. Open last summer.
As Venus Williams works her way back into playing shape after being sidelined six months with tendinitis in both wrists, she is showing signs that perhaps she, too, will win a Grand Slam title soon.
"I would like to see her get her major," Martina Navratilova said. "She's definitely a good enough player. She seems to be committed now. I think she's serious about her game. I think she was sort of (thinking), 'Oh, well, this is easy. Maybe I'll do some designing, go to school.' Then she realized you can't do that."
The question Williams faces now, though, is whether she has the stamina at this stage in her comeback, playing only her third tournament since November, to beat No. 11 Anke Huber in the next round and move closer to the first major she wants so badly.
Huber reached the round of 16 by beating Magdalena Grzybowska 6-2, 6-2. Also advancing in straight sets were No. 5 Conchita Martinez, No. 8 Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario and No. 16 Barbara Schett.
Among the men, last year's runner-up, unseeded Andrei Medvedev, reached the fourth round with a 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 victory over Agustin Calleri. Medvedev next meets No. 3 Magnus Norman, who beat Sargis Sargisan 6-4, 6-1, 6-2.