Davenport to face Jankovic for title

Lu Yen-hsun, front, hits a return while Taiwanese teammate Wang Yeu-Tzuoo looks on during their doubles match against Takao Suzuki and Thomas Shimada of Japan in Davis Cup action in Yangmei, Taoyuan, yesterday. The Japanese won 1-6, 7-6, 6-4, 6-4. PHOTO: AFP

Top-seeded Lindsay Davenport weathered an upset stomach to beat a determined Patty Schnyder 4-6, 7-5, 6-1 Friday and secure a place in the final of the Dubai Women's Open.

The world's top-ranked player will meet Jelena Jankovic of Serbia and Montenegro today, who advanced to the biggest final of her career when Serena Williams retired with a tendon strain in her right shoulder during the other semifinal.

The unseeded Jankovic was leading 6-0, 4-3, when the Australian Open champion was forced to pull out 59 minutes into the match.

Williams the balls being used for the tournament for her injury.

"I think it is because of the ball because I also had the same problem with the championship when we used these same balls. It had resulted in a severe side strain," the American complained.

"Ever since I have been practicing here, I am getting the same symptoms with my ribs and my arms hurting in a really bad way."

Williams so frustrated during the match that she smashed her racket three times after losing her service in the opening game of the second set, receiving a racket abuse warning.

Spain's reign as defending Davis Cup champion could end today.

Without of its top players -- and 18-year-old Rafael Nadal playing only doubles -- Spain fell behind host Slovakia 2-0 on Friday in the World Group first round tie in Bratislava.

Spain No. 1 Feliciano Lopez lost 6-4, 7-5, 6-3 to Karol Beck, and Fernando Verdasco was defeated 6-3, 6-4, 6-7 (7), 6-3 by Dominik Hrbaty.

"I had goosebumps all over my body, it was a good feeling," Beck said.

Three ago, Spain defeated the US to win its second Davis Cup. But the key player in that victory, Carlos Moya, dropped out of this year's competition to concentrate on Grand Slams.

Juan Carlos Ferrero and Tommy Robredo also bowed out with injuries. And Nadal was dropped from singles by captain Jordi Arrese, partially because he had little time to practice on the fast indoor court.

Meanwhile, Andre Agassi's stumbled in his first US Davis Cup match in five years, losing to Croatian Ivan Ljubicic 6-3, 7-6 (0), 6-3 in Carson City, California. The loss was only the sixth in 36 Cup matches for Agassi, who has played on three championship teams.

The Americans rebounded to level the tie 1-1 after Andy Roddick overcame a first-set loss to defeat Mario Ancic 4-6, 6-2, 6-1, 6-4.

In Moscow, Australian Open champion Marat Safin struggled past Adrian Garcia 6-1, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (4) to level Chile, after Athens Olympic bronze medalist Fernando Gonzalez defeated Russia's Mikhail Youzhny 7-6 (4), 5-7, 6-3, 7-6 (4).

In Strasbourg, France, 2002 Australian Open champion Thomas Johansson beat France's Sebastien Grosjean 6-4, 6-4, 7-6 (1), after Paul-Henri Mathieu neutralized Sweden's Joachim Johansson 6-3, 6-4, 6-2.

Joachim Johansson had won two titles this year in Adelaide and Marseille, but Mathieu repeatedly forced him into sloppy errors as the slow, gripping clay took away much of the Swede's power and speed.

In Buenos Aires, No. 5-ranked Guillermo Coria defeated Tomas Berdych of the Czech Repubilc 6-3, 3-6, 6-0, 6-3, and No. 10 David Nalbandian bested Jiri Novak 4-6, 6-2, 6-3, 6-4.

Coria, last year's French Open runner-up, was pleased to win his first Davis Cup match at home, before a 6,500 sellout crowd.

In Fribourg, Switzerland, the experience of Dutchmen Sjeng Schalken and Peter Wessels prevailed, but not without a battle. Both took almost four hours each to subdue the Swiss.

Schalken, only recently returned from severe glandular fever and battling a sore back, overcame Marco Chiudinelli 7-6 (4), 4-6, 6-3, 5-7, 6-2, and Wessels made a successful Cup debut over 2003 Junior French Open champion Stanislas Wawrinka 7-6 (12), 6-7 (4), 7-6 (7), 6-4.

World No. 1 Roger Federer was absent from Switzerland's squad for the first time since 1998, along with the injured Michel Kratchovil and Ivo Heuberger.

In Sydney, Australia's Lleyton Hewitt and Wayne Arthurs won in straight sets over Austria. Hewitt, playing for the first time since losing the Australian Open final to Marat Safin, beat Austria's Alexander Peya 6-2, 6-3, 6-4.

Arthurs, who won his first career singles title at Scottsdale, Arizona, last weekend, beat Austrian No. 1 Jurgen Melzer 7-6 (5), 6-2, 6-4 on a grass court at the 2000 Olympic site.

Taiwan versus Japan

Takao Suzuki and Thomas Shimada rallied from a rather sluggish start to win their doubles match and give Japan a 2-1 lead over Taiwan in a Davis Cup Asia-Oceania Group I playoff.

Suzuki Shimada beat Taiwan's Lu Yen-hsun and Wang Yeu-tzuoo 1-6, 7-6 (5), 6-4, 6-4 to give Japan a valuable lead heading into today's reverse singles.

In today's reverse singles, Lu plays Suzuki, while Wang takes on Motomura.