Serena Slays Myskina, Davenport Romps at WTA Championships

Serena Williams fights off Anastasia Myskina last night in three sets at the WTA Championships (WTA)

Svetlana Kuznetsova and Lindsay Davenport had comfortable victories while Serena Williams looked nowhere near the top of her game in gutting out a win Wednesday on day one at the WTA Championships.

The No. 4-seeded Kuznetsova soundly defeated fellow Russian and No. 8 seed Vera "The Crying Game" Zvonareva 6-2, 6-4 in the opening match, with the emotional Zvonareva coming through for the STAPLES Center crowd, getting misty-eyed and slamming her racquet in anger while getting out-hit by five winners for her every one.

After the match the Championships-rookie Zvonareva stormed out without talking to reporters.

In the second match of the night, Russian Anastasia Myskina provided another classic choke for her 2004 portfolio that includes the Olympics collapse, seizing up after taking a set lead and 3-0 (two breaks) in the second, but playing nervously to let Serena back in the match for a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 loss.

"I was just thinking I won the match. When I was ahead I stepped back and was hoping for her mistakes," Myskina said. "Serena started playing better."

The No. 7-seeded Williams, wearing a pink top and a frilly layered white skirt resembled an NFL linebacker in a tutu, in contrast to the gaunt pipe-cleaner limbs of Myskina who appeared the tennis poster child for anorexia. In contrast to her physical appearance, the No. 3-seeded Myskina provided enough consistency from the baseline to coax numerous errors (61) from the former No. 1 American, but again lacked the mental fortitude to close a big match.

In the final contest of the night, top-seeded Lindsay Davenport thrashed French/US Open runner-up and No. 5 seed Elena Dementieva 6-0, 6-1, spanking the Russian's pitiful second serve and dictating play from the beginning of the match which appeared out of place at the women's championships.

In the second set, leading 6-0, 4-1, Davenport survived an 18-deuce game, at the conclusion raising her arms to the applause of the L.A. fans.

"It seemed like 5-all in the third," Davenport said. "It was one of those games that got more dramatic as it went on, a really crazy game."

On court Thursday, The Crying Game will try and stave off round robin elimination against Amelie Mauresmo, while L.A. tennis porn poster child Maria Sharapova makes her debut against the 1-0 Kuznetsova, and Dementieva tries to recover from her bagel-and-breadstick loss from Wednesday, today facing the 1-0 Serena.