Top seed Anna Chakvetadze of Russia admitted Thursday that she was relishing the challenge of her quarter-final showdown against home hope Amelie Mauresmo at the WTA Paris Indoor Open here. The 20-year-old Russian has never beaten Mauresmo in their three previous meetings, including a loss in the quarter-finals here last year.
And where better place to upstage her rival than on front of her home crowd at the Pierre de Coubertin Stadium. Chakvetadze booked her spot in Friday's quarter-final when she saw off another Frenchwoman Nathalie Dechy, 6-1, 6-3 while Mauresmo advanced after Eleni Daniilidou retired because of illness. Mauresmo was 3-0 ahead in the first set when her Greek opponent called it quits.