Sunday, August 11, 2002
Davenport reaches first final of year
Rubin says Dokic 'semi-tanked'
By BETH HARRIS
AP Sports Writer
MANHATTAN BEACH, Calif. — Lindsay Davenport, making a comeback from knee surgery, reached her first final of the year with a 6-3, 6-4 semifinal victory over Ai Sugiyama in the JPMorgan Chase Open on Saturday.
Davenport improved to 9-2 playing her third tournament in as many weeks. She was a semifinalist at Stanford and Carlsbad, Calif., in her previous two outings since having left knee surgery in January.
“There's no question I'm tired physically,” she said. “Mentally, I'm still excited. I have a chance to win my first title of the year and I didn't think it would come nearly this quick.”
In Sunday's final, she'll face 12th-seeded Chanda Rubin, who beat No. 4 Jelena Dokic 6-0, 6-2 in 41 minutes.
“She sort of packed it in early in the second set when she didn't get up right away,” Rubin said. “I was surprised. I'm not sure what the reason, besides just kind of getting beat and not wanting to accept the challenge on this particular day.”
The crowd at Manhattan Country Club had barely settled in its seats when Rubin won the first set in 15 minutes. She broke Dokic three times in the second.
“I was surprised once she started a semi-tank mode,” Rubin said. “I was a little bit surprised that she didn't try quite as much as I thought she would at the beginning of the second.”
When Dokic didn't attempt to move toward a forehand by Rubin and dropped serve to trail 5-2, the crowd booed her.
“I wasn't feeling good,” Dokic said through a WTA Tour spokesman. “I've had a lot of matches and I couldn't even give 10 percent out there, physically and mentally.”
Earlier in the week, Dokic complained of having the flu.
Dokic returned a short time later to play her doubles semifinal, saying she didn't want to let down partner Kim Clijsters. She has played 19 tournaments so far this year, including three weeks in a row.
Dokic committed 40 unforced errors and hit only six winners.
It'll be just the fourth time in the tournament's 21-year history that the top two seeds won't meet for the title. It also happened in 1982, '94 and '99, when Serena Williams beat Julie Halard-Decugis.
Davenport is 8-2 against Rubin, although their match last week in Carlsbad went three sets.
Rubin is playing just her eighth tournament of the year after undergoing left knee surgery in January. It was her second such surgery in a year.
She won the Eastbourne title on grass in June, and lost to Monica Seles in the Madrid Open final in May.
Davenport's path to a possible third title in her hometown tournament was cleared after Sugiyama upset No. 2 Jennifer Capriati 6-3, 6-7 (3), 6-2 and Rubin stunned the top-seeded Williams 6-2, 4-6, 7-5 in Friday's quarterfinals.
Sugiyama extended her streak of futility against Davenport to seven matches. The Japanese player, ranked 29th, hasn't beaten her since they first played in 1993. Only two of their matches have gone three sets and not since 1995.
“In the past I've been able to overpower her,” Davenport said. “Although I wasn't as successful today, I think I was able to keep the balls deep.”
Davenport earned the only break of the first set in the second game. Sugiyama fought back from love-40, but sent a forehand long to lose.
The second set was much closer, with five service breaks, three going to Davenport.
Davenport broke Sugiyama to lead 5-2, but then had trouble closing out the match. Davenport trailed love-40 on her serve, got back to 30-40, but Sugiyama's forehand crosscourt winner off Davenport's serve pulled her to 5-3.
“Again I let a lead slip away at the end,” she said, “but still able to close it out. I'm glad to have a little bit easier match. I'm glad to get through earlier and go rest.”
Sugiyama survived two deuces to hold at 5-4. Davenport again struggled on her serve, even getting called for a foot fault on match point. She trailed love-30, before hitting an 84-mph ace, and capitalizing on three consecutive errors by Sugiyama to win.
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