No. 1 Mauresmo and No. 2 Davenport Battle for Filderstadt Crown

Following their semifinal wins on Saturday, No. 1 ranked Amelie Mauresmo and No. 2 Lindsay Davenport have set up a dream final at the Porsche Grand Prix event in Filderstadt, Germany.

Mauresmo played well in taking out US Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova, defeating the No.4 seed 7-5, 6-4 to remain undefeated against the Russian in three meetings.

"The key in the first set was holding off those breakpoints," Mauresmo said afterward. "I knew I had to mix it up. The first set was very important. Even though I was down 3-0 in the second, I knew I could come back into it."

With the victory Mauresmo assured herself of holding onto the World No.1 ranking for at least another week. Yay. Had Mauresmo lost to Kuznetsova and Davenport won the tournament, the American would have overtaken the Frenchwoman for the top spot in women's tennis. But now even if Davenport defeats Mauresmo in the final on Sunday, she would not have enough points to ascend to No. 1.

"Being No.1 gives me huge confidence," added Mauresmo. "In fact, it's a relief because it means I can play free. I have achieved that goal. Whether I keep it next week is not important. The main goal is to play aggressive tennis and play inside the court."

In the other semifinal, Davenport enjoyed an easier time dispatching French Open champion and No. 3 seed Anastasia Myskina 6-2, 6-4.

"This was a good match to win against a player who's very highly ranked," Davenport said who will be gunning for her 7th title of year Sunday. "I thought I was making a few errors too soon in the rally and she took more control at the start of the second set. I knew I was going to have chances to get back in there because it was only one break and she's not a player who overpowers you with her serve."

In the final, Mauresmo and Davenport will meet for the 11th time with the American leading the 7-3 including four straight. . Their most recent meeting came earlier this year in the Amelia Island final where Davenport won 6-4, 6-4.

"I'm excited to play Amelie," Davenport said. "I have a ton of respect for her, she's a great player to watch and she's improved a lot this year. It's a hell of an accomplishment to get to No.1 - something not many people have done. For me though, it's a great challenge to put your game up against the best and we're both playing well right now."

Sharapova Slams Washington for Tokyo Title

Maria Sharapova mania is alive and well in the Pacific Rim. The 17-year-old Russian starlet claimed her second title in as many weeks with a resounding 6-0, 6-1 victory over surprise finalist Mashona Washington to win the Japan Open in Tokyo for a second straight year. The title by Sharapova was also her fourth of the season and second straight following her victory last week in Seoul and improved her win streak to nine matches.

Sharapova was in complete control of the match and nearly baked-up the dreaded “double bagel” before Washington finally got on the board down 0-6, 0-5.

Incredibly, it was less than two months ago that Washington stunned Sharapova at the event in New Haven. Today, Sharapova was having none of that.

"Compared to the last time we played, I think I served much better and basically played very well," said Sharapova, who lifts her record in finals to a perfect 6-0 which includes a Wimbledon title in July. "Last time, we played on a slower surface, and the points were very long. This time, I dictated the points much better. I knew I had to be extremely tough today because my opponent is also playing very well. I knew I had to be ready from the start."

While Sharapova won these last two events facing the lower ranked players, the two wins do give her added confidence and increase her point total in her quest to finish among the Top 8 which would place her in the year-end WTA Championships.

"It would be pretty amazing if I can make the Championships," Sharapova said. "It's a close race right now, but I still have Zurich and maybe Philadelphia. I definitely want to play the Championships."

Washington was playing in her first career tour final was pleased with her week.

"It's my first final, so I'm not that disappointed to have come this far," Washington said. "I couldn't play my normal aggressive game today because she was so good. She was playing out of her mind, and when someone is playing like that, you can't really beat her. This time was different than the last time we played. It was a final and the atmosphere was different. She was ready to come out and play and was really aggressive."

Novak Toughs Out the Typhoon and Taylor Dent for Tokyo Crown

He may not have the star appeal of women’s champion Maria Sharapova, but Jiri Novak’s got game. The fifth-seeded rosy-cheecked Czech defeated Taylor Dent 5-7, 6-1, 6-3 to win the Japan Open men’s singles title.

The win for Novak was his sixth career ATP title and his first since 2003 Gstaad.

``We both started out nervously,'' Novak said. ``But I was able to relax as the match went on and picked up some confidence in the second and third sets.''

The championships match was delayed for 35 minutes in the third set as rain from a powerful typhoon leaked through the roof. In response, organizers opened the roof for the final, which was played under cloudy skies.

Malisse, Soderling to Meet for Lyon Title

Xavier Malisse rolled into his second ATP final of the year after knocking out Spaniard David Ferrer 6-2, 6-4 at the Grand Prix de Tennis de Lyon. In the final, “X-Man” will tackle Swede Robin Soderling who was a 6-2, 6-4 winner over No. 7 seed Vincezo Spadea. Soderling is playing in his third career ATP final, and has yet to win a crown.

“It will be good to play tomorrow,” said X-Man. “I’ve played five finals, four times the other guys were better, the other time [St. Poelten] I didn’t play that well. I’ll give it everything I got and leave everything on the court to win this one. I‘ve always played well here so it would be nice to actually win this one."

Most importantly, the winner of the event in Lyon we be the first leader of the newly-created Tennis-X.com Euro Series which comprises the 11 fall indoor events and awards the winner an extra monetary bonus and a really cool trophy.

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