Venus Williams to Face Davenport in Dream Final at WTA Stanford

Posted on July 18, 2004

Lindsay Davenport and Venus Williams will meet for a 23rd and perhaps final time in their long and storied rivalry Sunday to determine the 2004 Bank of the West Classic champion at Stanford.

On Saturday, Williams crushed sixth-seeded Amy Frazier 6-3, 6-1, and Davenport beat Maria Vento-Kabchi 6-3, 6-2 to set up their fourth finals meeting in seven years at the Stanford tournament with Davenport winning in 1998, 1999, and Venus in 2000. Overall, Venus leads the head-to-head 12-10 having won 11 of the last 13 meetings including six straight over Davenport.

"I'm looking forward to playing Lindsay," said Williams. "We've played so many times and it's been a year that we haven't played (2003 Wimbledon quarterfinals, won by Williams in three sets).

"I always enjoyed playing her,” added Williams. “When I first started, I had a tough time against her. We would have tough matches but she would always end up winning. Then I took over and starting winning. I am determined to take it another step tomorrow."

But with talk increasing that Davenport will likely retire at the end of the year, this may be their final meeting.

"Venus and I played a lot of times, I believe she is the player I played the most times in my career,” said Davenport. “Our matches can be divided in two periods. I used to beat her early on, but I don't think I've beaten her in a while now. Basically when Venus was able to reverse the tide against me, she turned it against everybody else.

"I feel I have nothing to lose; I have to step up my game, play well the big points and go for my shots and my serve and not try and just get the balls in. It's going to be a good match especially that Venus gets tougher in the final rounds."

Both players had little trouble Saturday in reaching the finals, posting straight sets, easy wins.

"Her serve hurt her but she was going for the returns," said Williams after the 62 minute win over Frazier. "The first games were intense, but that's what I need. I need someone to give me a hard time."

Frazier was aiming to reach her first final in Stanford, having played every edition of the event since its inception in 1997. She also played the tournament's predecessor in Oakland from 1990 to 1996.

"I knew she was going to serve very well, so I got pressured to come up with great shots," said Frazier. "At the beginning, I felt great, then she got momentum and cut down on her unforced errors.”

Davenport needed just 65 minutes to dispose of Vento-Kabchi.

"We had a lot of good points and the score is not indicative," said Davenport. "It was a tough match and I played well enough to win. Maria can be a deceptive player, so it was important that I came strong early on.

Davenport is looking to win her third title of 2004 and the 41st of her career when she meets Venus on Sunday.

"Tomorrow is going to be a totally different match, much faster and I'm happy that I was able to finish this match in two sets and conserve my energy," Davenport added.

Venus is seeking her third title of the year, and 31st overall in her career.