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Dokic upsets No. 9 Pierce

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Posted: Monday June 28, 1999 10:17 PM

First Hingis, now Pierce: 16-year-old Jelena Dokic upset Mary Pierce 6-4, 6-3 on Monday. AP

WIMBLEDON, England (AP) -- Unseeded Jelena Dokic, who eliminated top-seeded Martina Hingis in the first round, reached the Wimbledon quarterfinals with a 6-4, 6-3 win Monday over ninth-seeded Mary Pierce.

The 16-year-old Australian fell behind 4-1, but won the net five games to take the set, breaking Pierce in the seventh game and again in the ninth.

Her unreliable serve, bothered by strong winds on Court 2, improved throughout the match and her groundstrokes continually kept Pierce deep. Early it was Pierce winning several points with clever drop shots, but as Dokic took control she fooled Pierce with drop shots of her own.

The key was the seventh game of the first set when Dokic broke Pierce in a game that went four times to deuce. On one point in the match, Pierce argued a line call for 20 seconds, standing with her arms crossed as she glared at the judge.

Dokic's father, Damir, unfurled a large Australian flag when his daughter broke the Frenchwoman, and other Australian flags popped up sensing she was taking control.

"I got off to a slow start, but once I settled down I felt much better."

With the second set at 3-3, Dokic broke Pierce with four straight points and then broke her again in the ninth game, hitting a backhand winner down the line to clinch the victory.

She faces either Americans Lisa Raymond or Alexandra Stevenson in the quarterfinals.

 

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