French Open champion Anastasia Myskina of Russia upset Lindsay Davenport 7-6 (5), 6-4 in the WTA Championships on Friday night, which could jeopardize the American's hold on the world's No. 1 ranking.
Davenport owns a 351-point lead over No. 2 Amelie Mauresmo of France, who still has a chance to regain the top spot she held for five weeks after the US Open. Davenport needs to reach Monday night's final to guarantee she'll end the year at No. 1 for the third time in her career.
PHOTO: AP
"If I finish the year two, it's been a great year," said Davenport, who has won a tour-leading seven titles this year. "If I finish one, great. If she plays well here and wins it, she absolutely deserves it."
Mauresmo beat US Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia 6-3, 6-2 for the fourth time this year and still has a chance to take away Davenport's ranking despite never winning a Grand Slam title.
"I will go for that," she said.
Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova eliminated fellow Russian Vera Zvonareva with a 6-4, 7-5 victory. Playing in the tournament for the first time, Zvonareva finished last in her four-woman group with an 0-3 record.
Sharapova improved to 2-0 and has yet to drop a set.
She will play Mauresmo today.
"I got my whole game together," she said. "When you have some confidence, if you're down a break point, you can still come back."
She will play Mauresmo, also 2-0, today, although both women already have qualified for the semifinals.
Sharapova donned a yellow Lakers jersey with the number "04" and her name on the back after the match. Sharapova has never seen a Lakers game, but she said the team is her favorite, adding, "I love Kobe, that's for sure."
Davenport concludes round-robin play today against Serena Williams, who only needs to win a set against Davenport to reach the semifinals in the season-ending tournament. Davenport likely needs to beat Williams to get into the semifinals.
Roger Federer is back in Andy Roddick's territory, trying to put the finishing touches on a dominant season in men's tennis.
Federer will be the favorite going into the ATP Masters Cup at Westside Tennis Club that starts Monday. Roddick, the former No. 1, will be his primary pursuer when the top eight players in the world meet in the final ATP event of the season.
With an 8-1 career record against Roddick, Federer wants to maintain his mastery of the top American -- who lives a three-hour drive away in Austin.
"Remember, our careers are only at the beginning," Federer said. "I try not to be superstitious. If I practice well, it doesn't mean I'll have a good match and if I practice badly it doesn't mean I'll have a bad match. There are no signs."
There is no reason for Federer, 23, to lack confidence. He's ranked No. 1 in the world after winning 10 tournaments -- including three grand slams -- this year.
Harry Kane opened the scoring ahead of lifting his first career silverware as Bayern Munich beat Borussia Moenchengladbach 2-0, with veteran Thomas Mueller playing his last home game for the club. Bayern officially won the title on May 4 when defending champions Bayer Leverkusen were held to a 2-2 draw at Freiburg, but were presented with the Bundesliga shield in front of their home fans at full-time. Dripping wet after being showered with beer by teammates, Kane said the title win was “an incredible feeling,” and hoped it would be “the first of many.” “It’s been lot of hard work, a lot of
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