TOP SEEDS STRUGGLE THROUGH.

Byline: Beth Harris Associated Press 

Lindsay Davenport overcame the angles and slice shots of Conchita Martinez for a 6-7 (4-7), 6-3, 6-2 victory Friday night in the quarterfinals of the Acura Classic.

Martinez's game has given Davenport fits over the years, with the Spaniard holding a 7-3 edge. Martinez had won all four of their previous meetings on hardcourts - her last loss to Davenport was indoors two years ago.

``To win this match is a huge confidence booster,'' said Davenport, the top seed and defending champion. ``On paper it might not look like a big win, but for me it is.''

No. 2 Martina Hingis had an equally tough time, tossing her racket in a tantrum before settling down to beat No. 7 Barbara Schett 6-7 (5-7), 6-3, 6-3.

No. 3 Mary Pierce was upset 7-5, 6-2 by Julie Halard-Decugis of France, who has beaten her countrywoman in all three of their career meetings.

Davenport led 4-3 with the game tied 30-all in the second set. She hit a forehand deep in the corner that the baseline judge called out before correcting himself. The chair umpire could have ordered the point to be replayed, but she gave it to Davenport to set up break point against Martinez.

``It looked like she was playing it anyway and missed it,'' Davenport said.

Davenport hit a forehand winner for a 5-3 lead and then served out the set. The call came when she was in the process of winning seven straight games. Martinez protested furiously and was obviously angry as the third set began.

``Everything from then on was uphill for me,'' she said. ``That wasn't a winner. I got there. We should've played two balls.

``There were many bad calls over there. You have to get some good linesmen. They made some mistakes. That's terrible.''

Davenport didn't lose her serve in the second and third sets. She broke Martinez twice in building a 4-0 lead.

Martinez frustrated Davenport in the first set with sharply angled shots that pulled Davenport wide and slice backhands. The Spaniard led 4-1 before Davenport recovered for a 6-5 lead. She held four set points but ended up losing a tiebreaker.

``The forehand bounces so high, the backhand bounces so low, she hits angles, she hits deep,'' Davenport said. ``It's just incredibly tough to get a rhythm against her. I don't like her game.''

Schett led 5-3 and had a set point before the second-seeded Hingis hit a backhand winner in the corner to tie the opening set 6-6. Schett, the world's 13th-ranked player, led 5-0 in the tiebreaker when Hingis began her rally.

Hingis hit consecutive forehand winners to close to 6-5, then sent a forehand long to lose the tiebreaker.

``I just tried to hang in there,'' she said. ``When I broke her to go up 3-1 in the second set, I started believing in getting the match turned around on my side.''

Schett broke Hingis with a backhand winner on the line to pull to 3-2, prompting Hingis to fling her racket across the court toward her chair on the changeover. Schett held serve for 3-3, then Hingis reeled off seven straight games to win the set 6-3 and take a 4-0 lead in the third.

Schett served a love game, then broke Hingis and won another game to trail 4-3. She led 30-love on Hingis' serve, but she netted two consecutive forehands. Hingis served an ace and Schett sailed a backhand long as her opportunity slipped away.

``I wasn't aggressive. I tried to be, but I missed too much,'' Schett said. ``When you play against her, you know why she's number one because she's always playing better at the big points. She anticipates very well and she's always there.''

Schett is getting closer to Hingis. She lost a three-setter to Hingis early this year in Sydney and got beat 7-5, 7-5 at the German Open in May.

``I have the game to beat her,'' Schett said. ``I like to play against her because she's not hitting the ball very hard, like Davenport and (Venus) Williams. I always have my chances and maybe next time.''

Hingis advanced to today's semifinals against sixth-seeded Serena Williams, who beat No. 4 Aranxta Sanchez-Vicario in straight sets Thursday.

The day's matches were overshadowed by Steffi Graf announcing her retirement in Germany. Many of the players were surprised at the timing, with some expecting Graf to quit after the U.S. Open later this month.

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Photo

Photo: (Color) Martina Hingis returns to Barbara Schett during a three-set victory in the Acura quarterfinals.

Tom Mendoza/Daily News