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Finally Hingis whips Davenport for Ericsson title
Posted: Sunday April 02, 2000 02:09 PM
KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. (AP) -- Martina Hingis, who had lost five consecutive matches to Lindsay Davenport, ended the streak Saturday with a 6-3, 6-2 victory in the final of the Ericsson Open. The top-seeded Hingis took charge from the start, winning eight of the first nine points. She played almost flawless tennis, committing only 10 unforced errors in 99 points. "It's nice to win a big one again," a beaming Hingis said. "I hope we're going to have many more finals together." Davenport, seeded second, lost for the first time in 21 matches since January. Despite the defeat, she'll supplant Hingis as the world's No. 1 player in next week's rankings. "She really deserves the No. 1 spot right now," said Hingis, who earned $350,000. Davenport received $175,000. Davenport had prevailed in their recent meetings thanks to her superior power, but this time Hingis controlled the points and waited for her opponent to make mistakes. The strategy worked. Davenport committed 40 unforced errors, many on wild shots. Hingis won the first four games and the final five games in the 58-minute match. She didn't lose a set in the tournament. "It was just a really tough day," Davenport said. "Against Martina, you've got to play well or you're in trouble. Once I started out not playing well, she really jumped on me and never let me get comfortable in the match." Hingis' victory was her first against Davenport since the Chase Championships in November 1998. Davenport won their previous three meetings this year, all in finals. Hingis earned her second title in 2000. She also won the Key Biscayne tournament in 1997. Pete Sampras seeks his third Key Biscayne title Sunday against Brazilian Gustavo Kuerten.
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