Pierce under attack

Magdalena Maleeva caused a major upset in both senses in the quarter- finals of the German Open in Berlin yesterday when she beat Mary Pierce, the second seed from France, and then accused her opponent of cheating.

The Bulgarian, who won 7-6 (7-5), 4-6, 6-4 in two hours and 20 minutes, levelled her accusation over Pierce's request for treatment to her shoulder after falling behind in the final set.

"If she's losing she's always handicapped. What she's doing is terrible," Maleeva said. "I don't know why she can't accept she can't always win." When told of Maleeva's comments, Pierce retorted: "That was an unsportsmanlike thing to say."

Maleeva will play the seventh seed, Natasha Zvereva, of Belarus, in the semi-finals while the top seed, Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, of Spain, will meet the unseeded Romanian, Irina Spirlea.