Lindsay Snaps Venus' Streak
Lindsay Davenport ended Venus Williams' 35-match winning streak, capturing the $535,000 Generali Ladies Open on Sunday with a 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 victory.
Williams, who won the Olympic gold medal in Sydney, lost for the first time since June 6 at the quarterfinals of the French Open.
"I thought the first two sets were pretty even, and I think the deciding point was the 4-2 break in the third," Davenport said of the match between the top two seeded players.
Entering this match, Williams had beaten Davenport five of the last six times, including Wimbledon and the U.S. Open. Davenport's previous victory over Williams came in the semifinals in Philadelphia last year.
Davenport, seeded first, broke in match's opening game but Williams came back to make it 3-3. Davenport immediately countered and served out the final game of the set without conceding a point.
In the second set, Williams failed to score a point in the third game but went on the attack, offsetting Davenport's strong serves with quick footwork and scoring with decisive passing shots. She wrapped up the set with a powerful passing forehand that left Davenport stranded in midcourt.
Williams started aggressively in the third set, but Davenport broke to go up 4-2 and take command. Davenport took the last two games without yielding a point.
"I played well all week," Davenport said. "Now I just want to go away and prepare for the last two tournaments of the year."
©2000 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed