NEW YORK -- Despite the void left by the Williams sisters' withdrawals, there are some exciting subplots going on here. The veterans -- Jennifer Capriati, trying to win her first Open title, and Lindsay Davenport, trying to win her first major in years -- are the only American women left.

	Pam's Picks
	Shriver Former WTA Tour pro Pam Shriver is providing ESPN.com with in-depth analysis throughout the U.S. Open. Shriver, a tennis analyst for ESPN, was ranked as high as No. 3 in singles play. She won 21 singles and 112 doubles crowns, including 22 Grand Slam titles.

Capriati and Davenport both had second-set scares against good opponents in their last matches, but they were able to win in their third sets.

The two Belgians -- Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin-Hardenne really need to make a name for themselves in the United States to add to their star power. That's the big battle -- translating their foreign roots into the U.S. market -- and a win at the U.S. Open will validate that.

There have been very few surprises on the women's side with only Chanda Rubin and Daniela Hantuchova falling. That's typical, but with this summer of injuries, that was by no means a sure thing. Nonetheless, we're going into the second week with the big names remaining to give it some punch despite the missing sisters.

Capriati gains the advantage by being able to complete her match on Monday in the rain. Capriati is not as relaxed as she was at New Haven, but you expect that at a major. I like the fact that she's starting to win three-set matches again. She's won five now in her last three tournaments, including here at the Open. Out of 14 events before the U.S. Open, Capriati had bowed out of 10 of them in a three-set match.

FOURTH ROUND
Ai Sugiyama (15), Japan, vs. Francesca Schiavone (29), Italy
Both women have had pretty good summers. Schiavone reached the semifinals in Stanford and the semifinals in L.A. She lost to Clijsters in both, but she's playing really well on hard courts.

Sugiyama, though, is having her best year ever, so give her a slight edge. It's very close. This will be a long match
Pick: Sugiyama

Anastasia Myskina (7), Russia, vs. Mary Pierce, France
Based on experience in majors, I would give the slightest edge to Pierce, even though she's ranked so low. Myskina has been playing tight tennis but winning. She's survived three matches that went the distance. It looks like she's trying to protect her seed. Maybe playing Pierce she won't feel so tense because she has the better movement, hits the ball more consistently and is injury-free. But Pierce, a two-time major winner, has bigger weapons.
Pick: Pierce

QUARTERFINALS
Kim Clijsters (1), Belgium, vs. Amelie Mauresmo (5), France
This is the marquee quarterfinal -- no matter how the other round of 16 matches turn out. This illustrates the lack of the depth without the Williams sisters and Monica Seles. If this is the best of them, this is not the same quality we've come to expect in women's tennis.

It's an enigma to me, why Mauresmo has so many health problems. When you read about her year, five different injuries or aliments have knocked her out of tournaments this year. Clijsters is the opposite, she just plays and plays and plays. With the exception of Toronto, she's reached the semis every time. There's no reason why she shouldn't win this one.

I think Clijsters is on form this week and given her year, she's on a mission to win her first major and someone besides Mauresmo will have to stop her.
Pick: Clijsters

Lindsay Davenport (3), United States, vs. Paola Suarez (24), Spain
Lindsay Davenport couldn't ask for a better draw in the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open. Suarez hits a nice ball, so Davenport can get into a rhythm, but Suarez is nowhere near as scary an opponent as Nadia Petrova.

Davenport needs to play very efficiently. She needs to get on and off the court quickly to keep her reserves. Her only mistake of the tournament so far was in not putting away Petrova in straight sets. When the draw first came out, it certainly looked pretty good for Davenport, and it's turning out that way.
Pick: Davenport