MIAMI, March 24 (UPI) -- No. 7 Lindsay Davenport of the United States and No. 8 Amelie Mauresmo of France became the latest seeds Monday to exit the $6.21 million Nasdaq-100 Open.
Davenport, who missed this event last season after knee surgery in January 2002, suffered a thigh injury and retired after failing to win a game in the first set against Marion Bartoli.
The 18-year-old French qualifier advanced to the quarterfinals of a Tier I event for the first time. However, she now has to play world No. 1 and defending champion Serena Williams of the United States, a 6-0, 6-4 winner over Uzbekistan's Iroda Tulyaganova.
Mauresmo, who had been suffering from a virus in Indian Wells last week, endured a 6-0, 6-2 defeat to No. 12 Chanda Rubin of the United States.
These are triumphant days for Rubin, who has taken seven years and three surgeries to win back a place in the world's top 10, and whose intelligently fluent game is now almost as effective, in the power game era, as it ever has been.
Whether Davenport will also regain her former effectiveness, as the women's game needs her to, remains in the balance.
"The leg felt tight when I woke up in the morning, and I felt something go in the second game," she said. "It was impossible to go on."
Bartoli has had a fortunte run to the quarterfinals, having played a local wild-card player, a lucky loser, a qualifier and an injured player in successive matches. She came to Miami on a five-match losing streak.
Meanwhile another former world No. 1, Jennifer Capriati, had no such difficulties. She ended the run of her American compatriot Sarah Taylor, 6-1, 6-0.
Also into the last eight is Jelena Dokic, the ninth-seeded Yugoslavian, who posted a 6-1, 6-4 victory over Australian Alicia Molik.
On the men's side, Andre Agassi routed No. 32 Jarddo Nieminen of Finland, 6-2, 6-0. The second-seeded American is looking to become the second player to win this event three straight years. His wife, Steffi Graf, did it from 1994-1996.
No. 16 Younes El Aynaoui of Morocco ousted 10th seed David Nalbandian of Argentina, 6-3 4-6 6-4.
