Davenport's 2nd California Triple

By Matthew Cronin
tennisreporters.net

Susan Mullane/Camerawork USA

Lindsay is the big favorite to win the US Open.

FROM THE ACURA CLASSIC IN CARLSBAD, CALIF. – In one of the most unexpected career turnarounds in the past decade, Lindsay Davenport has transformed herself into the prohibitive favorite at the US Open.

After completing her second career "California Triple" by smothering Roland Garros titlist Anastasia Myskina 6-1, 6-1 in the final of the Acura Classic Sunday, the once-struggling great is now looking down her nose at the tour once again.

"Now at the US Open, it's not, 'I hope I do well,' it's 'I better do well.' The expectations are bigger on my shoulders now than they were eight weeks ago," Davenport said.

It is the second time that Davenport has won Stanford, Carson and Carlsbad in succession; she completedthe same feat in 1998, when she went on to win the US Open as a 23-year-old. She feels likes she's a far better than she was then.

"I feel like I totally deserve everything that's happened to me," said Davenport, who has now won 14 consecutive matches. "I've proven a lot to myself in the last three weeks. I surprised myself again. I feel nothing but happiness. Now I know what I can do and accomplish and that's the most important thing."

MYSKINA BATTLED EXHAUSTION
Davenport's confidence began to come back at Wimbledon, where she played brilliantly up until the last two sets of the semis, when Maria Sharapova blitzed her. But it wasn't until she out-fought Venus Williams in a nearly three-hour classic at Stanford (her first win over Williams in nearly three years) that Lindsay knew she was a contender again. Down went Serena Williams in the next week and, on Sunday, she overwhelmed the poor Myskina, who had nothing in her legs after fighting off nine match points to win a two-and-a-half-hour semifinal over Vera Zvonareva just 14 hours prior.

"It seems like since I beat Venus I've been cruising," Davenport said. "Since then, I've been pretty confident in what I could do and who I could beat."

With the win, Davenport will move up to No. 2 in the rankings behind Justine Henin-Hardenne, who has not played since late May due to a virus. Davenport will not play again until New Haven, which is held the week before the US Open.

Myskina: To beat Davenport you have to 'serve four aces in every game'
Skipping the Olympics will likely do the 1996 gold medallist's sore knee a huge favor. Myskina – who needs to get in far better shape if she is going to make a big impression in New York – said that Davenport is the player to beat at Flushing. She added that, in order to beat her, a player has to "serve four aces in every game. She attacks every point, every ball. You have to do the same thing, but it's not my game."

With most of the elite players suffering from ailments, Davenport isn't quite sure who her main competition in NY will be, but says it could come from the bad-kneed Serena or the wrist-impaired Venus.

"You can never discount the Williamses if they are healthy," she said. "If you are dealing with them at 100 percent and if they get on a hot streak, they will be tough to beat. No one knows how Justine will be if she comes back and all the Russians are dangerous when they are playing well."

Even though she's now ranked second, Davenport was proud enough after her victory to pound her own chest. On hard courts, she feels like No. 1.

"For right now, yeah, through the hardcourt summer season," she said. "I feel less pressure to win at the Open [than I did in 1998] and feel more excitement going there knowing how well I've played."

Susan Mullane/Camerawork USA

Roger Federer can't seen to lose … and hasn't for 23 matches.

Roger rocks Andy … again
Roger Federer took his magical 2004 season to a new level with another pounding of No. 2 Andy Roddick and reaching two milestones with his victory in the Tennis Masters Series-Canada final on Sunday.

Federer became the first ATP player to bag eight victories in a year since Thomas Muster won 12 tournaments in 1995. He also became the first player to win three consecutive titles on three different surfaces since Bjorn Born in 1979. Federer won Wimbledon on grass, Gstaad on clay and took the Canadian championship on hard courts.

In the Canadian final, Federer beat Roddick 7-5, 6-3 and amassed a 7-1 record over the player who should be fighting him tooth and nail. The Swiss has won 23 matches in a row, is 52-4 in 2004, has a 329-point lead over Roddick in the INDESIT ATP 2004 race and, right now, seems unbeatable.

Roddick, the defending champion, joked about his inability to stop Federer. "I'd like to congratulate Roger but you are starting to become very, very annoying," he said after the match. His frustration was more demonstrative during the match when he slammed his racket after losing a point.

Facing a break at 5-5 of the first set, Roger blasted three straight aces. He held and then went on to break Roddick to take the first set.