Women’s tennis: Davenport reaches finals

MELBOURNE, Australia - Newport Beach’s Lindsay Davenport advanced

to the finals of the Australian Open following Thursday’s 6-2, 7-6 (7-4)

win over fellow American Jennifer Capriati.

Davenport will take on top-seed Martina Hingis today in the championship

final.

Davenport dominated the 22-minute first set, dropping only five points on

her serve, while twice breaking Capriati on her serve.

Capriati, hampered with an abdominal strain, fought back in the second

set to win eight straight points, rallying from a 2-4 deficit to tie the

set at 4-4.

But Davenport, nursing a strained left thigh, regained the momentum and

outlasted the 1992 U.S. Olympic gold medalist.

With a win today, Davenport, who also won a gold medal at the 1996

Olympics in Atlanta, would own three Grand Slam titles.