TENNIS / AUSTRALIAN OPEN : Davenport Advances Past Fernandez

With Monica Seles on the sidelines, 17-year-old Lindsay Davenport is becoming the new off-court jester of tennis.

Davenport, of Murrieta, Calif., laughed her way through a news conference Sunday after overcoming an attack of nervousness to defeat Mary Joe Fernandez, 6-2, 6-7 (4-7), 6-2, and reach the quarterfinals of the Australian Open.

Davenport won despite wasting four match points in the second set.

“It’s kind of weird and I don’t know if I can explain this, but I was pretty relieved when it got to a third set,” Davenport said. “In the second set, when it got close I got nervous and stopped going for my shots. But in the third set I felt better. I don’t know. It sounds really weird.”

Davenport has become a sensation for those looking for a new tennis personality in Seles’ absence. The three-time champion is recovering from being stabbed in the back by a spectator in April.

Davenport, who is 6 feet 2, has a laugh as robust as her booming serve and powerful ground strokes. She said part of the reason for her success is that she still enjoys tennis.

“I turned pro when I was 16 and I have only been doing it for a year,” she said. “So maybe in two years I won’t be smiling.”

Then she laughed and blurted into a microphone: “No, that was a joke!”

In other women’s matches, Arantxa Sanchez Vicario defeated Magdalena Maleeva and will next play her older sister, Manuela Maleeva-Fragniere, who defeated Sabine Hack in three sets.

Gabriela Sabatini fell behind, 3-1, in her match against Mary Pierce but won seven consecutive games en route to a 6-3, 6-3 victory. Sabatini will play Jana Novotna.

In men’s matches, two-time defending champion Jim Courier defeated Wayne Ferreira, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2, and will next face Goran Ivanisevic. Magnus Gustafsson will play Pete Sampras after defeating Martin Damm, 2-6, 6-3, 6-1, 6-1.

Thomas Muster defeated Alexander Volkov, 6-3, 6-3, 6-2.

Stefan Edberg advanced to the quarterfinals with a 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 victory over Swedish compatriot Lars Jonsson in 97-degree heat Monday.

This is the 10th consecutive year Edberg has reached the Australian Open quarterfinals.