Davenport Dominates Williams

PALO ALTO — A couple of days after boasting that nobody in women’s tennis has the power to hit with her, Venus Williams was proven wrong.

Lindsay Davenport controlled the match with her power and even showed off a little speed at the end, defeating Williams, 7-6 (7-1), 6-2, Sunday in the final of the Bank of the West Classic at Stanford for the second consecutive year.

Davenport was at dinner on the eve of the final when a couple of other players told her of the No. 2-seeded Williams’ boast. Davenport, the world’s top-ranked player, took it as a challenge.

After the match, Williams acknowledged: “I think she just gets her first serve in at more key points, more opportune times. I definitely have enough experience on my back to pull these matches out, and I’m not doing it. She took the opportunity to win the big points, and I took the opportunity to lose the big points and that’s got to change. That’s all I can say.”

Williams, four years younger than 23-year-old Davenport, was leading, 5-4, in the first set and had two set points on Davenport’s serve. But Davenport, who earned $80,000 for the win, saved both and eventually forced the tiebreaker, in which Williams failed to win any of her four service points. In the second set, Williams wasted three break points in the seventh game.