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Davenport Optimistic about Return
Henin is First Casualty
Fresh from two Federation Cup wins over the weekend Lindsay Davenport
has to be feeling good about her return to WTA, but Davenport is
realistic. After nine months away, she probably isn't going to shake the
Williams sisters' reign atop the rankings in the near future.
"My challenge isn't to get to No. 1,'' she said. "I mean, my challenge is
to get back into the top of my game, whatever the ranking is.''
Davenport takes her first formal step in this week's Bank of the West
Classic, her first tour event since having surgery on her right knee in
January.
"The most important thing for me is to take a few months to get back on
the tour and then maybe be a threat the end of this year, early next
year,'' she said. "I'm not really expecting to come out and start winning
these tournaments right away.''
Davenport is seeded second for the $585,000 event at the Taube Family
Tennis Stadium on the Stanford campus, meaning she gets a first-round bye.
She was granted a special injury ranking for the Bank of the West by the
Women's Tennis Association.
Venus Williams is the top seed, while defending champion Kim Clijsters is
seeded fourth. Two-time champion Monica Seles is the No. 3 seed.
Davenport, 26, is currently ranked No. 9. She has 37 tour titles, including three Grand Slams, and an Olympic gold medal. Over the course of her career, she has spent 37 weeks at No. 1.
Irvin Upsets Henin
Stanford Grad Marissa Irvin, an event qualifier, registered the
tournaments first upset downing Justine Henin 6-3, 4-6, 6-1.
Irvin, a member of Stanford's 1999 NCAA championship team, had never
defeated a player ranked as high as Henin, who was at No. 7 coming off a
loss to Venus Williams in the Wimbledon semifinals.
Henin was hampered by eight double faults and won just three of 13 break
points.
Other Matches
Jelena Dokic pounded her way past Amy Frazier 6-3, 7-5 with a powerful
serve that reached 100 mph
Dokic, seeded fifth in her first appearance in the tournament, breezed
through the first set, but fell behind 5-2 in the second before rallying
to beat Frazier.
"She played well to get to 5-2 and I got a little defensive and made some
errors,'' Dokic said. "I started playing good and got a little lucky.''
Former Wimbledon champion Conchita Martinez also won her first-round
match, beating former Stanford star Laura Granville, 6-3, 6-3.
Martinez, ranked No. 74 in the world, and Dokic, No. 6, will meet in the
second round.
In another first-round match, Meilen Tu defeated fellow American Alexandra
Stevenson, 7-6 (5), 6-4.
Tu will play defending champion, and fourth-seeded, Kim Clijsters in the
second round Tuesday night.
"I have nothing to lose, and anything can happen,'' Tu said. "I'm pretty
sure she'll hit the ball harder than Alexandra.''
Anna Kournikova, who has struggled since breaking her left foot and
undergoing surgery last year, snapped a five-match losing streak with the
victory over eighth-seeded Smashnova, ranked No. 18.
"Everything just really worked for me," said Kournikova, who was a
wild-card entry.
Kournikova appeared to lose focus slightly at the start when an errant
ball from the side-by-side match between Meilen Tu and Kim Clijsters at
Taube Family Stadium caused her to lose a point. But she quickly regained
her poise, winning eight straight points to go up 4-0 in the first set.
Results
[4] Kim Clijsters (BEL) def. Meilen Tu (USA) (7-5, 6-2)
Lisa Raymond (USA) def. Ai Sugiyama (JPN) (6-4, 6-7 (3), 6-1)
Anna Kournikova (RUS) def. [8] Anna Smashnova (ISR) (6-3, 6-2)
Wynne Prakusya (INA) def. Marie-Gaianeh Mikaelian (SUI) (6-1, 3-6, 6-3)
Marissa Irvin (USA) def. [6] Justine Henin (BEL) (6-3, 4-6, 6-1)
Meghann Shaughnessy (USA) def. Mirjana Lucic (CRO) (7-6 (5), 6-3)
Tamarine Tanasugarn (THA) def. Janette Husarova (SVK) (6-4, 4-6, 6-4)
Anne Kremer (LUX) def. Rita Grande (IT) (7-5, 6-2)
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