Russian Makes Good On Fifth Final Appearance

Dementieva claims first career title at Bausch & Lomb Championships

By Sandra Harwitt
tennisreporters.net

Susan Mullane/Camerawork USA, Inc.

On Easter Sunday, Elena Dementieva finally started to live up to expectations of becoming the player that many expected her to be when she first showed promise in the sport.

The 21-year-old Russian rebounded from a 4-6, 2-4 deficit to beat Lindsay Davenport 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 to win her first career title at Amelia Island. It was an impressive performance by Dementieva, especially taking into consideration that Davenport, a three-time Grand Slam champion in the hunt for a 39th career title, categorized her own play throughout the week as some of the finest tennis she's ever played.

The Bausch & Lomb Championships was Dementieva's fifth final appearance since joining the tour back in the late 1990's – the '00 Olympics, '01 Acapulco and Moscow and '02 's-Hertogenbosch finals all went the wrong way. The 's-Hertogenbosch final was a real disappointment in that Dementieva lost control of a 3-1 third set lead to enable Eleni Daniilidou of Greece to lay claim to her first career trophy.

There was no hiding the thrill of victory for Dementieva, and her mother, Vera, who cheered her daughter from her courtside seat in one of the most charming and intimate stadiums on the WTA Tour.

"It feels amazing, like a dream come true," said the 10th-seeded Dementieva. "I've been waiting for this moment all my life. It's been a very difficult two years."

FOOT INJURED HERE TWO YEARS AGO
Interestingly, the difficulty that Dementieva was referring to had its origins at the Bausch & Lomb Championships in 2001 when a plantar fascia tear on the sole of her left foot forced her out of the quarterfinals and sent her on a frustrating downturn in her career. A player that surprised all by reaching the '00 US Open semifinals – her only Grand Slam semifinal appearance to date – and then followed that a few weeks later with a final showing at the Sydney Olympics,Dementieva started to lose matches she should've won with her eyes shut.

"I didn't understand what I did, or how I did it, so fast," Dementieva said of hard times that befell her after the injury. "I completely lost my game, couldn’t get any better. It was a very tough time for me."
Certainly, the victory on Sunday will erase some of the painful memories of the last couple of years. And assuredly, the collection of players that Dementieva upended en route to her first trophy makes the victory even more noteworthy.

In the second round she upended countrywoman Lina Krasnoroutskaya 6-1, 7-5, in the third round she outlasted eighth-seeded Amanda Coetzer 7-6 (2), 6-3, in the quarterfinals she turned back fourth–seeded Daniela Hantuchova with a surprising 6-0, 6-1 win, and in the semifinal she toppled top seed Justine Henin-Hardenne 3-6, 6-4, 7-5.

For the first set and a half of the final, it looked as if Dementieva would be adding the Bausch & Lomb Championships to her list of unsuccessful final attempts. But at 4-2 for Davenport in the second set, she picked up the pace of her game, challenging off the ground with pummeling groundstrokes and quick court coverage. It was a good thing that those assets stepped into gear because despite the victory, Dementieva's serve still showed itself as a liability, especially a weak second serve that displays no signs of notable improvement.

Clearly, Dementieva impressed Davenport with her ability to come back and take control of the match. Davenport said, "I was unaware she hadn't won one [a tournament]. But with the player she beat today, that's a great first tournament win to get under the belt."

Dementieva's victory also led to the demise of the one common ingredient she shared with fellow 21-year-old Russian Anna Kournikova: the failure to win a career trophy. Considering the stop-and-start circumstances of Kournikova's career at the moment – injury after injury seems to plague the tennis starlet – it's hard to know whether she will ever be in position to join Dementieva as a tournament champion.