- News>
- Tennis
Defending champion Davenport devastates Dokic for Tokyo final
Tokyo, Feb 08: Defending champion Lindsay Davenport crushes Jelena Dokic to reach Tokyo final.
Tokyo, Feb 08: Defending champion Lindsay Davenport crushes Jelena Dokic to reach Tokyo final.
Defending champion Lindsay Davenport showed no mercy against Jelena Dokic, pummelling the seventh seed 6-1 6-0 on Saturday to reach her fifth Pan Pacific Open final as injuries continued to blight the tournament.
The American will play Magdalena Maleeva in Sunday's final after fifth seed Chanda Rubin became the latest casualty at the $1.3 million event, pulling out ahead of her match against the Bulgarian with a knee injury.
Rubin had advanced to the last four in Tokyo following top seed Venus Williams's withdrawal from their quarter-final with a leg muscle strain on Friday.
Second seed Davenport powered through her semi-final in just 42 minutes against Dokic, who bravely decided to play despite a groin strain sustained earlier this week in her first tournament of the season.
"Obviously, there is a little bit of sympathy involved," said Davenport, who improved her winning streak at the Pan Pacific Open to 11 matches dating back to 2001.
"I've tried to play injured many times and it's just a losing proposition. You're not really sure what to do.
"The odds of her coming back are increasingly difficult once you're injured and really far down in the match."
Former world number one Davenport won the title in 1998, 2001 and 2003 but missed the tournament in 2002 after undergoing knee surgery.
The 27-year-old Californian was runner-up to Japan's Kimiko Date on her first visit in 1995.
"I am feeling confident. I've had a great week with good, quick matches. I feel like I'm doing the things I need to do well." Davenport added. "I want to win it again."
Dokic had lost all eight previous meetings with Davenport and the 20-year-old only competed after hearing that the first semi-final had been called off.
"With the other match being defaulted, it wouldn't be good for the tournament if both semi-finals had not been played. I tried a few games, as much as I could," said Dokic, who skipped last month's Australian Open for the third year running.
"I'm happy the injury is no worse. It's not a tear or anything, it's just a strain. Hopefully, if I can have two or three days without playing, it will get better."
Several players have complained about the wear and tear on their bodies from the indoor carpet in Tokyo, including Dokic, Davenport and Williams.
Meanwhile, embattled organisers are still awaiting the findings of a police investigation after a female spectator fell four metres after slipping through a loose floorboard in a temporary stand on Thursday.
The woman was taken to hospital but later released with minor injuries.
Semi-final results: 2-Lindsay Davenport (U.S.) beat 7-Jelena Dokic (Serbia and Montenegro) 6-1 6-0 Magdalena Maleeva (Bulgaria) beat 5-Chanda Rubin (U.S.) walkover
Bureau Report
"Obviously, there is a little bit of sympathy involved," said Davenport, who improved her winning streak at the Pan Pacific Open to 11 matches dating back to 2001.
"I've tried to play injured many times and it's just a losing proposition. You're not really sure what to do.
"The odds of her coming back are increasingly difficult once you're injured and really far down in the match."
Former world number one Davenport won the title in 1998, 2001 and 2003 but missed the tournament in 2002 after undergoing knee surgery.
The 27-year-old Californian was runner-up to Japan's Kimiko Date on her first visit in 1995.
"I am feeling confident. I've had a great week with good, quick matches. I feel like I'm doing the things I need to do well." Davenport added. "I want to win it again."
Dokic had lost all eight previous meetings with Davenport and the 20-year-old only competed after hearing that the first semi-final had been called off.
"With the other match being defaulted, it wouldn't be good for the tournament if both semi-finals had not been played. I tried a few games, as much as I could," said Dokic, who skipped last month's Australian Open for the third year running.
"I'm happy the injury is no worse. It's not a tear or anything, it's just a strain. Hopefully, if I can have two or three days without playing, it will get better."
Several players have complained about the wear and tear on their bodies from the indoor carpet in Tokyo, including Dokic, Davenport and Williams.
Meanwhile, embattled organisers are still awaiting the findings of a police investigation after a female spectator fell four metres after slipping through a loose floorboard in a temporary stand on Thursday.
The woman was taken to hospital but later released with minor injuries.
Semi-final results: 2-Lindsay Davenport (U.S.) beat 7-Jelena Dokic (Serbia and Montenegro) 6-1 6-0 Magdalena Maleeva (Bulgaria) beat 5-Chanda Rubin (U.S.) walkover
Bureau Report