Pierce dispatches Dechy at Acura Classic

By: MICHAEL KLITZING - Staff Writer

LA COSTA ---- Mary Pierce was one of a handful of tennis players in attendance at Nathalie Dechy's wedding last year in the Luberon region of France. The two met again at La Costa Resort and Spa on Thursday night in the third round of the Acura Classic.

This time, Pierce did not come as a well-wisher.

The No. 6 seeded Frenchwoman defeated her No. 10 seeded compatriot 7-5, 6-3 as the French Tri-Color flew proudly over the stadium court.

The turning point of the match came in the second set as three straight Dechy returns went just long to help Pierce go up 3-1. She put the match away swiftly as she hammered home four straight points in the final game.

"I think I moved well tonight and I served well," Pierce said. "I'm especially really happy with the last game, closing it out and serving well how I did. I just fought for every point.

"At important points I played well. Experience can sometimes make a difference, so maybe that helped a little bit tonight."

With the win, Pierce advanced to the quarterfinals. She is the second-highest seed still breathing, seeded between No. 5 Patty Schnyder of Switzerland and No. 7 Kim Clijsters of Belgium.

And she'll get another test straight away. Today, Pierce will face Schnyder in the second match of the day, which will start after noon.

"Patty is a good player," Pierce said. "She's one of the top players in women's tennis, so it's going to be a tough match. I just have to feel good tomorrow and play my best tennis."

Pierce played much of the match with a smile on her face. She even grinned and applauded on her racket twice during the second set after impressive Dechy points.

And why not, the way she's been playing? Pierce, 30, is ranked No. 14 in the world. Her best season-ending ranking she's had since a lumbar spine injury cost her most of the 2001 season is 29th, which she posted last year.

"I love what I'm doing and I'm having a lot of fun," Pierce said. "Every day I'm enjoying it. Life goes by really quickly, so why not enjoy it?"

Now, it is the Acura organizers who are undoubtedly smiling as well. Pierce's victory gives the tournament some name recognition heading into the quarterfinals.

Pierce won the Australian Open in 1995 and the French Open in 2000 and finished in the top 10 in 1994-95 and 1997-2000.

Her victory is critical in that sense, because of the withdrawals of Lindsay Davenport, Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova, and the early-round ousters of highly touted Russians Elena Dementieva, Svetlana Kuznetsova and Nadia Petrova that have turned most of the remaining field into a list of relative unknowns.