Enduring Dechy Eliminates Kournikova

Nathalie Dechy kicked off her flip-flops and sat, barefooted, in the comfortable easy chair in the interview room.

To say she’s settling in here at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden is something of an understatement. Dechy is probably spending more time on site than the security guards. If it keeps going like this, the 21-year-old French player will be asked to turn off the lights, count the money and lock the door.

Dechy and her doubles partner Emmanuelle Gagliardi of Switzerland were still on the court after 10 p.m. on Saturday. Then, she returned to play eighth-seeded Anna Kournikova of Russia just after 11:30 Sunday morning.

“Every match we’ve been the last one for the last three days,” Dechy said. “I’m getting used to it. I’m going to do the same today because we’re playing doubles again. It’s a nice site, so I don’t mind.”

Her reservoir of patience and nerves were tested in a bizarre, fluctuating contest. Dechy twice let big leads disappear but prevailed against Kournikova, 7-5, 5-7, 7-6 (5), in a 2-hour 26-minute third-round match at the Indian Wells Tennis Masters Series.

She squandered a 5-1 second-set lead. Dechy nearly let the third set slip away similarly, losing a 4-0 lead. Kournikova led, 6-5, in the third and Dechy held serve to reach the tiebreaker, and then wore down Kournikova, who said she was cramping.

Dechy’s summation of the situation was humorous.

“Tennis is like that sometimes,” Dechy said. “It’s a weird game. That’s why everybody likes it.”

She has defeated two top-10 players in her last two tournaments--Kournikova and Conchita Martinez of Spain at Scottsdale, Ariz.

Dechy will play Russian teenager Elena Dementieva today in the fourth round. Dementieva, 18, hurt her lower back against Magui Serna of Spain, needing an injury timeout but won the third-round match, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4.

Much is expected of the hard-hitting Dementieva, who beat Venus Williams in the Fed Cup final in September.

Kournikova is also 18 but came on scene by reaching the semifinals at Wimbledon in 1997 and it’s noteworthy that she has yet to win a WTA title and is the only player in the top 20 without a championship.

Naturally, Kournikova is defensive about that shortcoming.

“It’s not like a subject to win a title,” Kournikova said. “For me, the ranking is more important. If I’m ranked in the top 10, that’s what is important. That means I had very good results the whole year, that I’m playing consistent.

“One title, you can just win a tournament, and not play the rest of the year good or the whole year good. For me, it’s more important to have the good ranking.”

Kournikova said this on Saturday and those words came back to haunt her a day later with an inconsistent showing against the No. 23rd-ranked Dechy.

Two other seeded players joined Kournikova on the sideline Sunday in the third round. Karina Habsudova of Slovakia defeated fourth-seeded Nathalie Tauziat of France, 6-4, 6-4, and Chanda Rubin beat 11th-seeded Sandrine Testud of France, 6-4, 2-6, 6-2.

*

Three Americans, Jan-Michael Gambill, Justin Gimelstob and Paul Goldstein, were among the eight qualifiers for the men’s event, which starts with first-round action today.

Gambill reached the semifinals at Indian Wells in 1998.

The other qualifiers are Byron Black of Zimbabwe, Jan Kroslak of the Slovak Republic, Marcos Ondruska of South Africa, Max Mirnyi of Belarus and Cyril Saulnier of France.

Featured Matches

STADIUM COURT ONE, STARTING AT 10 A.M.

* Vincent Spadea vs. Yevgeny Kafelnikov, Russia.

* Andre Agassi vs. Hicham Arazi, Morocco.

* Martina Hingis, Switzerland vs. Barbara Schett, Austria.

* Serena Williams vs. Kim Clijsters, Belgium.

EVENING SESSION, 7 P.M.

* Chris Woodruff vs. Mark Philippoussis, Australia.

STADIUM COURT TWO, STARTING AT 10 A.M.

* Sabine Appelmans, Belgium vs. Monica Seles.

* Julie Halard-Decugis, France vs. Lindsay Davenport.

* Cedric Pioline, France vs. Nicolas Escude, France.

STADIUM COURT THREE, 10 A.M.

* James Blake vs. Greg Rusedski, Great Britain.