MELBOURNE, Australia -- Amelie Mauresmo returns to the Australian Open on Monday not as a fluke finalist and certainly not as the butt of more abuse from top players for her powerful physique and open lesbianism.

The Frenchwoman shut up her critics -- Martina Hingis and Lindsay Davenport -- with her dignified silence a year ago and with back-to-back victories over them last week.

	Lindsay Davenport was effusively complimentary of Amelie Mauresmo on Saturday after losing to her.

When she beat Davenport for the title at a tuneup tournament in Sydney on Saturday that boosted her ranking to No. 6, the 20-year-old Mauresmo sank to her knees and buried her head in her hands. Then she rose and raced to the players' guest box to embrace her partner and coach, Sylvie Bourdon, a French bar owner who befriended her a few months before last year's Australian Open and became a driving force in her life.

"When you are happy in your life, you do your job better," Mauresmo said. "I think she makes me feel good and we have a great relationship and she brings me a lot of confidence. I didn't have as much in 1998, but bit by bit it is coming and I am getting stronger in my mind and on the court."

Mauresmo gained respect and support from Australian fans with the way she handled herself last year, when she tossed off the criticism and performed credibly in the final against Hingis.

Hingis never apologized for the comments she made about Mauresmo, calling her "half a man," but has since tried to smooth over any lingering hard feelings by saying it's an old issue. Davenport immediately sent a note of apology to Mauresmo last year after saying she hits like a man, and was effusively complimentary Saturday.

Mauresmo, Davenport said, has proved herself to be one of the top players in the game and a serious threat to win the Australian.

But having been made to feel an outsider once, Mauresmo was cautious about being regarded as one of the in-crowd now.

"It doesn't really matter if they accept me or not, I am just playing my game," she said. "I do what I have to do and what I think is good for me. Lindsay was very nice in her speech, and it is nice to have this type of ambiance, rather than the opposite."

Davenport, seeded No. 2, and Mauresmo, No. 7, could meet again in the Australian Open semifinals.

Mauresmo plays her first match Monday against Spain's Cristine Torrens Valero. Davenport begins the tournament against another Frenchwoman, Sarah Pitkowski.

Playing in men's first-round matches Monday will be No. 1 Andre Agassi, No. 3 Pete Sampras, No. 6 Thomas Enqvist, No. 8 Todd Martin, No. 9 Richard Krajicek, No. 11 Tim Henman and No. 16 Mark Philippoussis.