Top-seeded
Lindsay Davenport had her hands full Saturday in the final of the WTA stop in Dubai against unseeded Serb
Jelena Jankovic, fighting off the hot-handed 19-year-old 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 for her first win of the year.
Davenport was forced to come back from a break down late in the third set, from 3-4 winning the final three games of the match.
"Once the match started and I saw how well she was playing, I knew it was anybody's game out there," Davenport said. "It was very close. I was down a break point at 4-4 in the third set but survived...She is incredibly fast and changes the direction of her shots a lot."
Jankovic benefited from a retirement by
Serena Williams in the semifinals, with the American quitting in the second set with a shoulder injury.
"I want to congratulate Lindsay for playing an unbelievable game," Jankovic said. "I couldn't do anything. She kind of destroyed me in the end."
In the doubles final, top-seeded
Virginia Ruano Pascual and
Paola Suarez defeated Aussie Open champs
Svetlana Kuznetsova and
Alicia Molik 6-7(7), 6-2, 6-1 for their first title of the year.
