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Hot matches Hingis to face Davenport in Adidas final
SYDNEY, Australia (AP) -- The seedings worked to plan at the Adidas International, with organizers delivering No. 1 vs. No. 2 finals in both the men's and the women's draws. Defending titlist Amelie Mauresmo withdrew from her semifinal Friday against Lindsay Davenport, giving the No. 2 seed a walkover into Saturday's decider against top-ranked Martina Hingis. On the men's side, top-seeded Magnus Norman rallied to overcome Jonas Bjorkman 5-7, 6-3, 7-5 in an all-Swedish semifinal to advance to a finale against defending titlist Lleyton Hewitt. Hewitt overcame a shaky second set to defeat sixth seed Sebastien Grosjean of France 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 to make it back-to-back finals at the Sydney International Tennis Center. Earlier, a nagging back injury forced Mauresmo to abandon an anticipated replay of last year's Adidas decider against Davenport. The 21-year-old Frenchwoman withdrew while Hingis was on court disposing of No. 4 seed Conchita Martinez of Spain 6-3, 6-2 in the other semifinal. Hingis trails 12-9 in head-to-heads against Davenport, who also has the edge Down Under after wins in Sydney in 1999 and in last year's Australian Open final. But the 20-year-old Swiss said she was better prepared for Saturday's final. "I'm No. 1 and she's No. 2, so it's good to have a final like this," Hingis said. "My standard right now is very high ... I feel confident." Hingis had an unbeaten run as she guided Switzerland to a win in the Hopman Cup last week and said she was match-hardened after using the Adidas tournament as a tune-up for the Australian Open. "At least we know tomorrow what we have to do to get better," she said. "But it's definitely not going to be as important tomorrow as the Australian Open, the ultimate." Mauresmo said she consulted tournament medical officer, Dr. John Ackermann, after injuring her back in a straight sets quarterfinal win against third-seeded Monica Seles on Thursday. The injury had not responded to further treatment, Mauresmo said, although she remained optimistic about being fit for the Australian Open. "It's not as bad as it was last year," she said. "I hope the two or three days off are going to be enough for me to relax and let the pain go." Mauresmo, an Australian Open finalist in 1999, was the No. 13 seed for next week's season-opening Grand Slam at Melbourne Park, where she was scheduled to meet Ai Sugiyama of Japan in the first round. Mauresmo said the pain was caused by an inflammation between two bones in her spine, but it only troubled her on serve and was not as serious as the complaint that kept her off the tour for four months last year. "What is tough is that it's only [painful] on the serve -- I can play the rest of my game and I feel good, so it's very frustrating," she said. But "I can't go into a contest not knowing how I'll serve." Davenport said the timing of the injury was a tough break for Mauresmo, "especially the week before a Grand Slam." "It's good for me to have a day off, especially as it was so hot," she said. "But I had a good practice and will be ready for the final." In the men's semis, Norman dropped the first set but rallied to close out against his compatriot 5-7, 6-3, 7-5 on his third match point. The world No. 4 slumped to his haunches in exhaustion when Bjorkman sent a forehand volley a fraction wide after 157 minutes of grinding tennis. The temperature exceeded 35 degrees Celsius [95 Fahrenheit] on center court, forcing organizers to cool players with portable electric fans during the breaks. Norman, who stormed onto the scene as a semifinalist at last year's Australian Open, struggled to hold serve during the final set, but said he had a track-record as a big-point player. "I'm very strong to save those break points, that's why I'm the No. 4 in the world," he said.
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