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Back to earth Davenport ends Venus' win streak at 35
Updated: Sunday October 22, 2000 2:23 PM
LINZ, Austria (AP) -- Lindsay Davenport powered her way through the final of the dlrs 535,000 Generali Ladies Open, halting Venus Williams' incredible run of 35 straight match victories. Davenport, 24, won 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 in a match that saw the momentum swing back and forth between the two players. "The first two sets were pretty even, and I think the deciding point was the 4-2 break in the third," Davenport said. The Davenport-Williams final Sunday afternoon was the dream matchup for the tournament organizers in this quiet Austrian city. For the 20-year-old Williams, who won the Olympic Gold medal in Sydney, it was the first time she had lost a match since the quarterfinals of the French Open on June 6, Davenport took an early lead by breaking her opponent in the very first game, hanging on to the advantage until Williams converted the second of two break points to even things at 3-3. Davenport immediately countered, then pressed home the advantage and served out the final game of the set without conceding a point. The second set went to Williams, wrapping it up in just 30 minutes with a powerful passing forehand that left Davenport stranded in mid-court. Williams started aggressively in the decisive third set, but Davenport countered strongly and was rewarded with the break to 4-2, which all but sealed the match. Davenport then went on to wrap up the remaining two games without conceding a point. "I played well all week," Davenport said. "Now I just want to go away and prepare for the last two tournaments of the year." Asked how she felt about stopping Williams' winning streak, Davenport said that she had not thought much about it, adding "She [Williams] has had a great run." Davenport told reporters that she would not start in the Kremlin Cup next week because she wanted to rest up following a string of injuries earlier in the year and because of "a very strenuous week" in Linz. Williams, who outran her opponent, even if she did not always outplay her, said her first serve had often let her down. "I played good tennis, but she had all the answers," Williams said. The 20-year old remained philosophical after her defeat. "One loss after 35 wins is not that bad. I have only lost four matches this year," she said. Although Davenport retains the career edge with 10 victories in their 16 meetings, Williams, up to the Linz tournament, has had the upper hand, winning five of their last six encounters, including Wimbledon and the U.S. Open. Davenport last beat Williams in the semifinals in Philadelphia last year.
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