DUBAI, 6 March 2005 — World No. 1 Lindsay Davenport claimed her first title of the year with a 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 defeat of unseeded Jelena Jankovic in the final of the Dubai Open yesterday.
Davenport, who lost her two previous finals this year at the Australian Open final and in Tokyo, was given a tough time by the 28th-ranked Serb before edging the decider.
The Californian has now taken her career title haul to 46, banking $19 million in prize money in the process.
The 20-year-old Jankovic, who has just one title to her name, made a nervous start, double-faulting three times as she dropped her serve in the opening game. She responded immediately to break the Davenport serve, but another double fault gave the American a 3-2 lead and this time she was unable to reply.
Jankovic raised her game in the second set, breaking back to level at 2-2 before moving into a 4-2 lead with an unplayable return down the line and then holding for 5-2. Davenport fought off two set points on her own serve before Jankovic closed out the set in the next game with an ace. Jankovic managed an early break in the third set, but a netted backhand allowed Davenport back in and the youngster began to look weary, collapsing into a courtside chair after one long rally in the seventh game. She still had chances to forge ahead but it was Davenport who showed her class, breaking to love in the final game with two winning returns.
Slovakia, Australia and Argentina March Into Quarterfinals
In Paris, Slovakia dethroned Spain as Davis Cup champions yesterday to reach the quarterfinals where they will be joined by Australia and Argentina who also wrapped up their World Group first round clashes. But the ties between the United States and Croatia, Russia against Chile, Switzerland against the Netherlands, Romania and Belarus and France versus Sweden will all be decided today in the reverse singles.
Clay court specialists Spain, playing without former French Open champion Carlos Moya who has opted to skip the event this year, were never comfortable on the fast indoor carpet surface in Bratislava and were quickly put out of their misery yesterday. The Slovakian pairing of Karol Beck and Michal Mertinak downed Rafael Nadal 7-6 (7-3), 6-4, 7-6 (10-8) to take an unassailable 3-0 lead.
Australia defeated a gritty Austrian doubles combination to take an unassailable 3-0 lead in their tie in Sydney to set up a quarterfinal with Argentina. The Australian pair of Todd Woodbridge and Wayne Arthurs prevailed in blustery conditions on a bumpy drop-in grass court to take a rain-interrupted five-setter 4-6, 6-3, 2-6, 6-4, 7-5 over more than three-and-a-half hours. Australian coach John Fitzgerald admitted he was relieved after a tough match on an unpredictable surface at Sydney’s Olympic Tennis Center.
David Nalbandian and Guillermo Canas secured Argentina an unassailable 3-0 lead over Czech Republic after winning the doubles rubber yesterday in Buenos Aires beating Jan Hernych and Tomas Zib 6-3, 4-6, 6-1, 6-2.
In Strasbourg, Arnaud Clement and Mickael Llodra gave France a 2-1 advantage when they beat Jonas Bjorkman and Simon Aspelin to take a 2-1 lead over Sweden.
Clement and Llodra were surprise 7-6 (7-5), 6-4, 6-7 (4-7), 6-4 winners against Bjorkman, ranked No. 1 in the world in doubles, and Aspelin, also a doubles specialist.
In Moscow, Marat Safin and Mikhail Youzhny put Russia into a 2-1 lead over Chile beating Fernando Gonzalez and Adrian Garcia 6-3, 6-4, 6-3.
In Fribourg, Switzerland, playing without world No. 1 Roger Federer who is skipping the first round, stayed alive in their tie against the Netherlands when Yves Allegro and George Bastl beat Peter Wessels and Dennis Van Scheppingen 5-7, 4-6, 7-6 (7-5), 7-5, 9-7.
In Bucharest, Belarus took a 2-1 lead over Romania when Max Mirnyi and Vladimir Voltchkov edged Andrei Pavel and Gabriel Trifu 7-6 (7-3), 6-3, 6-4. Ivan Ljubicic spoiled Andre Agassi’s Davis Cup return beating the eight-time Grand Slam champion 6-3, 7-6 (7-0), 6-3. Andy Roddick, the 2003 US Open champion, dropped the first set before emerging with a 4-6, 6-2, 6-1, 6-4 victory over Mario Ancic.
