It's just that Davenport hasn't beaten the Belgian since 2002.

Davenport won the first five times the two played, but has lost their last six meetings, including this year in the Australian Open quarterfinals, and retiring from the New Haven final a couple of weeks ago when she trailed 6-0, 1-0.

"I played her when she was like 16 or 17," the 30-year-old Davenport said of the 24-year-old Henin-Hardenne. "Tim Henman had the greatest quote the other day playing (Roger) Federer, because, I think he'd beaten him a bunch of times. He said, 'Yeah, it helps when you play him when he's 11 years old.'

"I played her a lot at the beginning of her career, and I think over the years, she's improved her forehand, her confidence."

Davenport knows that in order to beat Henin-Hardenne in the quarterfinals here, she's going to have to control the match from the outset.

"I'm not going to outrun her," Davenport said. "I don't have tons of backup options. I'm going to have to try and get the first hit on the rally, and, again, try to keep the points shorter rather than longer."

THAT BLACK DRESS
All sorts of things are for sale at the US Open. T-shirts, visors, hats -- even balls actually used in the tournament, at $5 apiece.

A store in the middle of the fan plaza also sells replicas of what some players wear. Maria Sharapova's lavender dress is $90. Serena Williams' outfit with Asian influences goes for $100.

But an item that draws a lot of inquiries -- Sharapova's black cocktail-style dress, inspired by Audrey Hepburn -- isn't on the shelves. Not yet, anyway.

Sharapova, however, plans to auction off some on her Web site. The proceeds would go to her new foundation, which supports at-risk children.

"Basically children that don't get the opportunity to do the things that they dream of and want to do," she said. "One of the greatest things about being an athlete and making money is realizing that you can help, help the world, especially children."

AGASSI'S RATINGS, ATTENDANCE UP
Andre Agassi's final match drew the highest overnight TV rating for the first Sunday of the US Open since 1990.

Agassi's four-set loss to Benjamin Becker drew an average household rating of 3.0, up 30 percent from last year's 2.3 on the equivalent afternoon.

Sunday's rating peaked with a 4.3 rating at the conclusion of the match, which featured a tearful on-court goodbye from Agassi to the crowd.

The rating is the percentage of all homes with TVs, whether or not they are in use. Overnight ratings measure the largest TV markets, covering about 70 percent of the country.

Attendance at the Open is also up, with first-week ticket sales exceeding 400,000 -- 406,040 -- for the first time.