Davenport beats Govortsova for 55th title
Updated: 2008-03-03 09:08
Former world No 1 Lindsay Davenport claimed her 55th career title by cruising to a 6-2, 6-1 victory over teenager Olga Govortsova of Belarus in the Memphis Championship on Saturday.
 Lindsay Davenport kisses her son, Jagger, 8 months, as she waits for the trophy presentation after she won the Cellular South Cup tennis tournament in Memphis, Tennessee, on Saturday. [Agencies] |
"(I am) obviously ecstatic to win any tournament and to win here in the States and to play as well as I did to win, how I was winning very comfortable, gives me a lot of confidence," Davenport told reporters.
The 31-year-old fourth seed needed just 60 minutes to beat the fifth-seeded Govortsova in their first career meeting.
She joined Britain's Virginia Wade in a tie for seventh place on the all-time victory list with the triumph.
"I've never been one to look at records or anything, but it all seems surreal," she said.
"I love being up there with the greatest player(s) that ever played. I can't believe I passed Monica (Seles). Monica was my idol for years and years."
Davenport served eight aces in overpowering the 19-year-old, winning 89 percent of her first-serve points. Govortsova double faulted five times and served just two aces.
The victory was Davenport's second this year and fourth since returning to play last September after the birth of her son.
She had not played in an American tournament since 2006 with her last US title coming at New Haven in 2005.
European final
In the men's draw, unseeded Belgian Steve Darcis and eighth seed Swede Robin Soederling advanced to Sunday's final with semifinal victories.
Darcis outlasted veteran Swede Jonas Bjorkman 4-6, 6-1, 6-4, and Soederling served his way to a 7-6, 6-3 upset of fourth seed Radek Stepanek of the Czech Republic.
The 23-year-old Darcis will be seeking his second career title. The first came in Amersfoort, the Netherlands, last July.
Bjorkman, 35, recorded the only service break of the opening set of his match with Darcis but failed to break the Belgian in the second and third.
"From the beginning I played great," Darcis told reporters. "Jonas' start was unbelievable, he played some amazing shots.
"After I broke him in the second set maybe he was a little tired. In the third I put pressure on him again with my serve."
Soederling blasted 12 aces and did not lose serve to defeat Stepanek for the third time in four career matches.
"The center court suits my game and I played some really good matches here two years ago when I reached the final," Soederling told reporters.
The Swede hit nine of his 12 aces in the opening set, including three in the tiebreak, where he grabbed a 5-0 lead.
In the second set, Stepanek was broken in the fifth game, double-faulting twice, and lost serve in the ninth to give Soederling the chance on Sunday to win his third career title.
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