Print

Mail

wiki links

Davenport wins third title since making comeback

Lindsay Davenport carries her son Jagger and the trophy after her win against Aravane Rezai in the final of the ASB Classic women's tennis tournament in Auckland, New Zealand, yesterday. PHOTO: AP

Lindsay Davenport won her third title in four events since her comeback to tournament play when she beat France's Aravane Rezai 6-2, 6-2 in the ASB Classic final yesterday.

Davenport improved to 18-1 in singles since her return from the birth in June of her first child.

Her son, Jagger, was courtside yesterday for his mother's victory, held by his nanny, but seemed nonplussed by the occasion and cried when first introduced to the crowd.

He was quickly calmed by Davenport and took an eager interest in proceedings, including the presentation of the US$22,000 winner's check.

The win followed Davenport's tournament victories in Bali -- after a 51-week absence from the tour -- and Quebec City and her semi-finals appearance in Beijing. The Auckland title was her 54th, moving her ahead of Monica Seles and into eighth place on the all-time list of WTA tournament winners.

Davenport won the first set yesterday in 25 minutes, breaking Rezai in the second and eighth games and the second in 34 minutes, breaking in the fourth and eighth.

In winning, Davenport improved her percentage of wins in singles to 79.4 per cent -- 792 wins in 918 matches -- which is the best percentage in WTA history.

"I came here with the goal of winning this tournament and, being unseeded, you never know how the draw turns out," she said. "But I was happy with the way I was able to play well at times, not perfectly at others, but really come through the tournament and just lose the one set."
This story has been viewed 1148 times.