With her mobility limited by a hamstring injury, Davenport was surprised by unseeded Julie Halard-Decugis of France, 6-3, 7-5, today in the semifinals of the $520,000 Acura Classic tennis event.

Halard-Decugis will make her fifth appearance of the year in a WTA Tour final on Sunday, facing sixth-seeded American teenager Serena Williams. Williams surprised second seed Martina Hingis of Switzerland tonight, 6-3, 7-5.

Davenport suffered a mild strain of her left hamstring during Friday's three-set quarterfinal win over Conchita Martinez.

With her leg heavily bandaged, Davenport dropped four of the first five games of the match and eventually lost the first set. Davenport stormed to a 5-2 lead in the second set, but Halard-Decugis reeled off five consecutive games to record only her second win in seven meetings with Davenport.

Davenport committed 32 unforced errors as she lost for only third time in her last 23 matches in California. Her first two losses came to sisters Venus and Serena Williams, with Venus eliminating Davenport at last week's TIG Tennis Classic in San Diego. That loss enabled Hingis to reclaim the No. 1 ranking.

The reigning Wimbledon champion, Davenport had her season record fall to 37-8 and her hardcourt mark drop to 22-5. She will defend her U.S. Open singles title later this month.

Halard-Decugis, 28, has provided one of the great comeback stories of the year in tennis. She did not compete for more than a year due to wrist and knee injuries before returning to action in January 1998.

Halard-Decugis has shown her versatility on different surfaces. She won the ASB Bank Classic hardcourt event in Auckland, New Zealand in January and the DFS Classic grasscourt event in Birmingham, England in June. She also was runner-up at claycourt tournaments in Bol, Croatia and Berlin in May.

Currently ranked 16th, Halard Decugis will seek her 11th career singles title on Sunday.

Serena Williams defeated Hingis for the second time in five all-time meetings, avenging a straight-set loss in last year's quarterfinals. Currently ranked 11th in the world, Williams will be trying for her third title of the year on Sunday. She also lost to her older sister in the final of the Lipton Championships.

Hingis struggled in her quarterfinal match, needing three sets to get past Austria's Barbara Schett. She fell to 49-8 in 1999, including a 26-5 mark on hardcourts. Hingis had lost to Davenport at this event each of the last two years.

First prize is $80,000.