An Old World Women’s Final

MELBOURNE, Australia —  As it turns out, the defining moment of 2004 for Lindsay Davenport and Serena Williams has required redefinition in early 2005.

Last summer in England, Davenport and Williams, once dominant figures in their sport, had been reduced to mere stepping stones for Maria Sharapova’s ascendancy as Wimbledon champion.

In the final, Williams appeared left behind after a barrage of Sharapova groundstrokes in a 6-1, 6-4 trouncing that many said signaled a new world order in women’s tennis.

Davenport, meanwhile, appeared close to leaving the game behind altogether, sounding downcast about her future after losing to Sharapova in the semifinals.

“Yeah. I look dumb now saying that at Wimbledon,” Davenport said shortly after defeating Nathalie Dechy of France, 2-6, 7-6 (5), 6-4, to reach the Australian Open women’s final against Williams.

Davenport’s last Grand Slam title was five years ago at the Australian Open. Williams, 23, won her last Slam at Wimbledon in 2003. Williams is 9-4 against Davenport, though Davenport won the last two meetings, both in 2004.

“I’m sure both of us are ecstatic to be back,” said Davenport, who turned 28 in June. “Probably seems like a long time for her. Seems like forever for me.”

This day almost didn’t come for Williams and Davenport. In the first semifinal, Williams fought off three match points against Sharapova in the third set before winning, 2-6, 7-5, 8-6.

Davenport, suffering from a hip injury, had her left thigh wrapped. She lost the first set and squandered four set points in the second, allowing Dechy to force a tiebreaker.

Dechy led, 4-1, in the tiebreaker. So, what was Davenport thinking?

“ ‘Wow,’ ” she said, smiling. “That’s pretty much it.”

Trailing, 4-5, in the tiebreaker, Davenport won the final three points, pushing it to a third set when Dechy double faulted on set point.

“You can always replay the match and redo the match 10 times, but it’s over,” Dechy said.

The third set was hardly a formality. Dechy trailed, 2-4, but fought back to 4-4 before Davenport finished strongly, winning the final eight points.

At the U.S. Open last year, Davenport was favored once she reached the semifinals, but an injured left leg hobbled her against Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia in a three-set loss.

Lowered expectations may have helped Davenport against Dechy, and Alicia Molik of Australia, whom she beat, 6-4, 4-6, 9-7, in the quarterfinals.

“Just a little perplexed by it,” Davenport said. “At the U.S. Open, I could have told you, everything was going my way, this was it. Here, I feel like a lot of things haven’t gone my way, except winning the matches, and here I am.”

Davenport also reached the final in women’s doubles; she and partner Corina Morariu lost today to Kuznetsova and Molik, 6-3, 6-4.

Asked a day earlier if she was spreading herself too thin, playing singles and doubles, Davenport said, “There’s that possibility. [But] having said that, four years ago, I was in the finals here with Corina. Three and a half months later, I got a call from her family saying she was in critical condition in the hospital with leukemia.

“If someone had told me at that time four years later we’d have another opportunity to play in the finals of doubles here, I would be forever grateful.”

Both Davenport and Morariu cried during the on-court ceremony after the doubles final.

“I was going to try not to get emotional, but that’s close to impossible,” Morariu said. “Three and a half years ago, I wasn’t sure I’d see another day, let alone another Grand Slam final.”