The women's second round matches were completed today in Indian Wells. There were no cataclysmic shocks to equal yesterday's ouster of top seed Kim Clijsters, but 5 more of the 32 seeded players did come up on the short end of today's results. The most prominent of the unsuccessful seeds was #11 Magdalena Maleeva, who lost to the only qualifier to survive two rounds, Eva Dyrberg. Two third round matches were also played, featuring fourth seed Monica Seles and #6 Meghann Sh aughnessy. Both easily advanced to become the first members of the final sixteen.

In today's report we feature the qualifier Dyrberg's big upset, as well as another upset bid ? a failed one this time -- by the dangerous Eleni Daniilidou against the 22nd seed Ai Sugiyama.

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Eva Dyrberg (Q) def. Magdalena Maleeva (11), 6-2, 6-3
Second round
Stadium 3
Previous head-to-head: First meeting

As our faithful readers know, On The Line has been following the progress of the Danish qualifier Eva Dyrberg since this tournament started. Dyrberg, currently ranked just outside the top 100, made a big leap upwards three weeks ago in Antwerp, where she reached her first tour quarterfinal. In fact, she came tantalizingly close to reaching the semifinals of that tournament, but was unable to hold a 5-2 third set lead against Patty Schnyder. This time, despite some edgy moments late in the match, the Dane finished the job against 11th seed Magdalena Maleeva, and scored the biggest win to date in her promising career.

As the match got under way before a sparse crowd of 26 (we counted), it was surprising to see the underdog Dyrberg looking fluid and composed, and the solid veteran Maleeva appearing nervous and out of sorts. Dyrberg was on fire early, constructing openings beautifully for her lethal forehand. Constantly on her heels, Maleeva seemed to have no answers. Magdalena, who was wearing a cap with the bill turned slightly upward (but not as exaggeratedly as eccentric golfer Jasper Parnevik's caps), was b eing outplayed from the baseline and was misfiring badly with her own forehand. The Bulgarian star quickly fell behind, and Dyrberg cruised to a 6-2 lead.

It was more of the same in the second set, with the confident Dane racing to a 4-0 lead. Dyrberg had trouble closing out the match, however. Serving for the match at 5-1, her backhand went off the boil, and a string of errors allowed Maleeva to close to 5-2. The Bulgarian faced a match point in her next service game, but fought it off with a service winner, and brought the score back to 5-3. Again serving for the match, this time everything appeared to be going well for the Dane, who earned a 40-0 lea d and her second match point. But here, Dyrberg double-faulted in a rather embarrassing manner, her second serve actually bouncing on her side of the court before hitting the net. "I went for it and maybe? yeah, I don't know what happened," Dyrberg told us after the match (we invite you to read our full interview with Eva). "From the outside, sure, it must look like I was very nervous. I was feeling like now it's important and now I have the chance, but it was not as bad as it l ooked."

When Dyrberg proceeded to foot-fault on match point number three, one feared a meltdown might be in progress. But Eva got her second serve in. Maleeva tried to pressure Dyrberg by coming to the net behind her return, but the Dane met her with a perfect backhand passing shot crosscourt, and victory was hers.

Eva Dyrberg is not only the author of the upset of the day, but also the only qualifier to reach the third round. And she has an interesting card to play tomorrow in the third round, where she will face unseeded Anna Smashnova, who took out 20th-seeded Rita Grande, 6-1, 7-6 (7-4). Eva expects a gruelling baseline battle against the steady Israeli, to whom she lost a grueling three-setter on clay last year. "She runs, runs, runs, and hits topspins, high balls. She's tough because I have t o win by myself, I have to do everything to win the points because she doesn't take charge of the game. But it's okay, I look forward to that."

Ai Sugiyama (22) def. Eleni Daniilidou, 6-4, 3-6, 6-1
Second round
Court 4
Previous head-to-head: first meeting

Japanese veteran Ai Sugiyama is the type of solid perfomer who can be used as a measuring stick for the progress of fast-rising young stars. Solid and versatile, the 26-year-old was a fixture in the top 20 in the late 1990s, and is still carries a fine #29 ranking. Today the 19-year-old Greek sensation Eleni Daniilidou would be put to the test, and showed that she still had a few rough spots to smooth out before she can consistently challenge the top players.

Daniilidou (pictured at right) is a powerfully built 6' 0" (1.82 m). With her upright posture, height and dark Grecian hair and complexion, she could easily be mistaken for Mark Philippoussis by someone with bad eyesight at a long distance. Especially when she winds up to hammer a forehand! In terms of her game, the best comparison is perhaps to Amélie Mauresmo: topspin forehand and one-handed backhand, also a sliced backhand, and the ability to flatten out shots for winners from either side. Sugiyama was going to the net a fair amount in this match, and some of Daniilidou's searing backhand passing shots were spectacular. Eleni goes to the net on occasion, but probably not enough for someone with her size and reach. On the downside, she sometimes fails to bend her knees and stay down and through the ball, which causes errors particularly on the backhand side.

Sugiyama took an option on the tense first set by breaking Daniilidou's serve at 4-4, when the Japanese hustled to the net on break point and watched a backhand pass by the Greek sail wide. Serving for the set, Ai had a few wobbles, double-faulting to hand Daniilidou double break point. Eleni was not opportunistic, frittering away both break chances with unforced errors, and wailed "Ai ai ai!" We assume this was a cry of frustration, and not a tribute to her opponent. Sugiyama finally converted on her first set point with a fortunate winner that dribbled over the net cord.

Daniilidou had her best moments in the 6-3 second set. Sugiyama started to struggle from the baseline, and the Greek's deep topspin and slice were making it difficult for her to get to net and kept her on the run from side to side. The Japanese was beginning to look tired, and took deep breaths after some of the rallies in the middle set.

However, in the third set it was the Greek youngster who faded. The turning point came with Daniilidou serving at 0-1. She took a 40-15 lead, only to surrender it on a series of baseline and volley errors. Sugiyama cashed in on her first break point with a penetrating down-the-line forehand to take a 2-0 lead. From there on, it was all downhill for Daniilidou, who appeared to be having either cramps or injury problems with her left leg. The incisive Sugiyama punished her opponent's poor movement with accurate baseline blasts, and the rest of the match was a formality.

Make the final: 6-4, 3-6, 6-1. Next up for the victorious Sugiyama is another powerful player, hard-serving 13th seed Iroda Tulyaganova, who overwhelmed qualifier Jelena Kostanic 6-3, 6-3 today.

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Wandering in the desert

Topsy-turvy top quarter

Aside from Maleeva, four other of the more modest seeds were eliminated today: Magüi Serna, Angeles Montolio, Rita Grande and Francesca Schiavone. Interestingly, all but Schiavone were in the top quarter of the draw, the same quarter that also contained the ousted top seed Kim Clijsters. The only remaining seeds in this quarter are #6 Meghann Shaughnessy and #28 Anastasia Myskina, although we also note the presence of the unseeded but in-form Nathalie Dechy, Clijsters's executioner, in that group. Dechy will lock horns with Myskina tomorrow.

Men's qualies begin

The first Saturday is always the busiest day of the tournament. Seven courts were pressed into service today. In addition to a full slate of women's singles and doubles matches, the men's qualifying tournament began. Among the first round qualifying winners was the talented Argentine Mariano Zabaleta, who schooled his younger and more erratic countryman José Acasuso, 7-6 (7-2), 6-2. Zabaleta caused some fluttering hearts among his female followers with his habit of hitching up the legs o f his shorts before each point, thereby revealing a generous amount of thigh. The "short shorts" trend in tennis fashion two years ago may have been short-lived, but Mariano showed that it is still possible for leg-watching fans to get an eyeful.