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Thursday's Notebook Davenport out of doubles with injury, okay for singles
Posted: Thursday January 27, 2000 12:09 PM
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) -- Lindsay Davenport withdrew from her doubles semifinal against Mary Pierce and Martina Hingis with a leg injury, but the No. 2 seed said she'll play in the singles final Saturday against top-ranked Hingis. Davenport and Corina Morariu were trailing 5-0 in the opening set when Davenport pulled out, allowing Hingis and Pierce to advance to Friday's final against No. 1 Lisa Raymond and Rennae Stubbs. Hingis is the defending singles and doubles champion at the Australian Open. Davenport said she had a better chance in the singles final with some time to recover. She has a 2-0 record in Grand Slam finals, winning the U.S. Open in 1998 and Wimbledon last year. Home advantageMartina Hingis said she virtually owns center court at Melbourne Park after winning three successive Australian Open titles. And Lindsay Davenport, her rival in Saturday's women's final, is well aware of it. "It's going to be tough, Martina pretty much owns this court and has won some ridiculous number like 44, 45 matches in singles and doubles," she said. "I'm definitely the underdog going into the final." Neither player has dropped a set en route to the final, and Hingis said she's looking forward to a "dream final." "I always play on center court, this is my -- I feel homey here," the top-ranked Swiss player said. "It has been my court for the last three years. I intend to keep going one more." TicketlessAbout 280 disgruntled tennis fans were considering legal action after a ticketing error meant they were not entitled to the tickets they'd purchased for the Pete Sampras-Andre Agassi semifinal. Agassi beat Sampras 6-4, 3-6, 6-7 (0-7), 7-6 (7-5), 6-1. The fans were among a group of 500, including American and German tourists, who purchased ticket, airfare and accommodation packages through Qantas Holidays for the Australian Open. The Australian airline got together 220 tickets, mainly from sponsors and corporate areas, and issued those to people in the order in which they had booked the packages. The others were offered $650 or a free return airfare on any of its main domestic routes. The fans were also invited to watch the match on big screens in the ballroom of a nearby hotel. A high-profile Melbourne law firm is investigating the compensation on behalf of several fans. Some fans threatened a sit-in between day and evening sessions, but tournament organizers said there were no problems involving the fans and the Melbourne Park arena was cleared between sessions. Comeback creditMartina Hingis said she should get some of the credit for Jennifer Capriati's strong showing at the Australian Open. The two players practice together in Saddlebrook, Florida, where Capriati lives. Hingis has a home nearby. "We practice together in Saddlebrook," Hingis said with a smile. "I think I lifted up her motivation a little bit."
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