It was a perfect, sunny desert day in Indian Wells. The women's side of the tournament saw Venus and Serena Williams set up a family semifinal duel with easy triumphs over disappointingly inept opposition, while the men's tournament filled the grounds with spirited second-round matches

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Women's quarterfinals

Serena Williams (7) def. Lindsay Davenport (2), 6-1, 6-2
Previous head-to-head: Williams leads 5-2

Venus Williams (3) def. Elena Dementieva (8), 6-0, 6-3
Previous head-to-head: Tied 1-1

Venus and Serena Williams set up an all-Williams semifinal this afternoon in back-to-back matches. The scores were impressive, but quite frankly, their opponents came up with poor, blundering performances.

Serena was by far the more convincing of the sisters, playing a clean and confident match (20 winners, 14 unforced errors) to reinforce her career domination over Lindsay after Davenport's straight-set win over Serena in the U.S. Open semifinal last year. Serena played a controlled, tidy match, and said after the match that limiting errors was the plan. "It gets to a point where you get tired of going for too much and making too many errors," admitted Serena. "I'm getting a little older, and I need to g o ahead and straighten things out."

As for Davenport, amorphous and seemingly lost on the court (4 winners, 19 unforced errors), her post match self-criticism was harsh and completely justified. "I don't think I've felt that spastic on court in a number of years," lamented the world number two. I do believe that is the first time a player has ever used the word "spastic" in a press conference, but the self-criticism was justified.

If Davenport was "spastic", Dementieva was, well? let's let Elena describe it: "I never played so bad in my life." Again, I would not presume to disagree, in light of Dementieva's eye-popping 41 unforced errors compared to just 6 winners. Venus was not nearly as sharp as Serena had been, and continually gave Elena chances that the Russian was too inaccurate to seize.

So our semifinals, which will be played tomorrow, are:

• Martina Hingis (1) vs. Kim Clijsters (14)
• Venus Williams(3) vs. Serena Williams(7)

We hope for more drama and better tennis tomorrow than we got today. Clijsters has never beaten Hingis in three tries, but her most recent match, a 4-6 4-6 loss in Sydney this year, shows that she is getting closer to Martina's level. As for Venus and Serena, we devoutly hope they will better competition for each other than their opponents were for them today.

Sebastien Grosjean (16) def. Carlos Moya, 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (7-3)
2nd round
Stadium 3
Previous head-to-head: Grosjean leads 2-1

The best match of the day on the men's side was this scintillating duel. Grosjean, who has always had great speed and an impressive, whipping forehand, has become a top-drawer player this year thanks to an improved serve and forehand. Moya, seeking to regain the form that brought him to number one briefly in 1999, is still capable of wonderful tennis but seems to be in a one step forward, one step back rut in his career. The fans who ventured out to Stadium 3 for this contest were treated to great cour t coverage and variety from these two evenly-matched players.

Moya appeared to have shot himself in the foot in the third set, when he committed a couple of baseline errors at 4-4 to allow Grosjean to break, and serve for the match at 5-4. The 5'9" Frenchman took a 40-15 lead, giving himself two match points. But Grosjean nervously shanked a forehand wide on the first opportunity, and on the second match point, Moya jumped on a weak and shaky second serve to mash a forehand winner. Moya finally broke Grosjean's serve with a strong forehand approach shot that forc ed a stretching Grosjean to drive his passing shot into the net. Moya was still alive at 5-5.

Then it was Moya's turn to hold match points, at 5-6 15-40 on Grosjean's serve. On the first match point, Moya pulled Grosjean wide, but missed the open court with a forehand. The Spaniard also wasted the second match point, sending a forehand beyond the baseline. Grosjean finally saved the game with one of his patented inside-out forehand winners. So, with each player having failed to convert two match points, it was on to a decisive tie-break, which went something like this:

• CM to serve: Moya attempts a forehand winner that he pulls wide. 1-0 Grosjean
• SG: A Moya shot appears out, but is called good. Grosjean plays on and finally wins the point with a clutch backhand topspin lob. A gentleman behind me yells to Grosjean, "That's a double point for you, buddy!" Grosjean turns to the fan, smiles, and nods in agreement. 2-0 Grosjean
• SG: Moya forehand winner. 2-1 Grosjean
• CM: A dynamic Grosjean crosscourt forehand winner. 3-1 Grosjean
• CM: Moya goes down the line with a forehand and forces a Grosjean error. 3-2 Grosjean
• SG: service winner. 4-2 Grosjean
• SG: serve is called out, but overruled correctly, and Grosjean replays the first serve. A let. Another let. Finally a service winner. 5-2 Grosjean
• CM: Moya comes to the net behind a good forehand, but strikes the forehand volley horribly and long. 6-2 Grosjean, match point #3
• CM: Moya shows a good eye to let a Grosjean forehand pass go long. 6-3 Grosjean, match point #4
• SG: Grosjean's first serve is close to being an ace but called out on a very late call. Grosjean looks skyward, then serves again. Moya lamely hits a backhand into the net. Make the final: 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (7-3) for the undersized Frenchman!

So after both players missed on two match points in "regulation play", Grosjean finally was the more mentally solid in the tie-break. His reward: a third round date with Pete Sampras, who showed some signs of vulnerability today?.

Pete Sampras (3) def. Fabrice Santoro, 6-3, 3-6, 6-0
2nd round
Stadium
Previous head-to-head: Santoro leads 3-2

The mighty Pete Sampras has struggled in this tournament since winning here in 1995, and came into the event with a three match losing streak. Sampras looked solid in his 6-4, 6-4 first round win over David Prinosil. However, this match against the unorthodox French artiste Santoro, who has bedevilled Pete in the past, would figure to provide an indication of Sampras's form this week.

The match started at 10:00 AM, and it must be said that these early start times have been a source of controversy. Gustavo Kuerten, forced to play at this early hour yesterday, complained bitterly about it yesterday, and suggested that if he were Pete Sampras he would not be obliged to perform at such an early hour. So it was rather ironic to see Pete called upon to work the morning shift today. Sampras was hardly thrilled about the scheduling either: "I wasn't that crazy about it," he admitted after t he match. "I haven't played at 10:00 since 1983, playing junior tennis."

However, Sampras seemed wide awake to start the match. The quality of Pete's backhand ? his weaker side -- is usually a clue as to how sharp he is. The backhand was splendid in the first set, as he cracked several winners off that side and seemed insensible to the feared Santoro trickery.

But the Frenchman did not give up, and in the second set began using his unique two-handed slice forehand as an approach shot, beating Sampras to the net and forcing Sampras to make difficult low passing shots. Sampras talked after the match about the damage that Santoro's wicked slices can do: "That's the most under-spin I think we have on tour. The ball stays low. I had a hard time passing on my backhand. He just kind of chips it, and it gets lower and lower." An impatient Sampras had let the crafty Santoro get to him ? Pete began mistiming his shots, and for that reason found himself in a third set.

Once Sampras recovered his patience and timing, it was game over for Fabrice, and the American steamrolled through a very impressive 6-0 third set.

There are still some signs of concern for Sampras ? the second-set lull is a worry, and his Achilles heel of last year, the double fault, is still a problem (10 of them today). But our impression is that Sampras looks considerably sharper than he did here last year, when he lost in the quarterfinals to Thomas Enqvist.

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Wandering in the desert

Goran blazes past Enqvist

There has been lots of talk about Goran Ivanisevic's shoulder, but he showed no sign of discomfort today as he pounded 23 aces and a number of other unreturnable serves past 9th seed Thomas Enqvist in a convincing 7-6, 6-3 win before an overflow crowd on Court 4. The fans were firmly behind the eccentric Ivanisevic: they whooped with glee at his booming serves and roared with delight at his victory. Enqvist normally has a pretty tough serve as well, but as he told us yesterday he is having problems rega ining his service speed after a shoulder operation, and Goran used his fine returns to feast on the Swede's attackable offerings.

Fans get "up close" with Guga and Pat

Fans of the popular Gustavo Kuerten and Patrick Rafter had a rare chance to get "up close and personal" with their idols, as their matches with Taylor Dent and Arnaud Di Pasquale (respectively) were scheduled on the intimate Stadium 2 court.

"Guga" Kuerten appeared on his way to a routine win over Taylor Dent, leading 6-4, 5-1, and with triple match point on Dent's serve. But Guga suddenly got sloppy, and slipped into a batch of errors which allowed the enterprising and net-rushing Dent to climb back in the set and take the second-set tie-break. Guga finally got things back in order in the third set to claim a 6-4, 6-7 (5-7), 6-2 win.

Rafter, who is being supported this week by a trumpeter and a band of female fans who call themselves the 'Roo Girls, made no such mistake, jumping to an early lead and keeping the pedal on the metal to cruise past Di Pasquale, 6-2, 6-2.

Agassi on a mission?

Australian Open champ Andre Agassi and Tommy Haas entertained the fans in the evening session in a high-quality match won by Agassi, 7-6 (7-5), 6-3. Haas was giving Agassi problems, and appeared in a position to win the first set tie-break when her held 4-1 and 5-3 leads. But Agassi forced the issue and Haas made a couple of key baseline errors to permit the American to take the tie-break. Agassi then rode an early break of serve in the second set to a 7-6 (7-5), 6-3 victory. Andre is looking sharp, a nd appears well-placed in the bottom half of the draw that has been depleted by the loss of four seeded players (Marat Safin, Magnus Norman,g Juan Carlos Ferrero and Mark Philippoussis). Agassi will face Haas's Davis Cup ally, Nicolas Kiefer, in the third round.

Quotable quotes

Lindsay Davenport on Venus Williams's win over Serena Williams in the 2000 Wimbledon semifinal: "I just thought that Serena had won a Grand Slam title and, whether it was on purpose or subconsciously or whatever, that Venus was going to win that match. That was my theory. Everyone else has their own."