Davenport, Mauresmo Meet in Filderstadt; Teens Vaidisova, Golovin to Battle in Tokyo

Davenport, Mauresmo Meet Again for Filderstadt Title

For the second consecutive year, the Filderstadt final features Lindsay Davenport and Amelie Mauresmo squaring off for the title. Davenport earned a comfortable 6-4, 6-3 win over Daniela Hantuchova on Saturday to book her spot, while Mauresmo ousted Elena Dementieva by an identical 6-4, 6-3 score.

"I was very happy with the way I served," Davenport said following the 80-minute win. "She was playing extremely well from the baseline, so it was even more important for me to be able to step it up on my serve."

The top-seeded Davenport smashed 14 aces and won 81% of her first serves. On Sunday, she will seek her fifth WTA title on the year and improve her hopes of finishing the season ranked No. 1.

"It’s not a mission of mine to end the year No.1," said Davenport, who has finished No.1 three times before on the Tour. "I know if I win everything I have a very good chance, but I just want to focus on the matches I have to win and the tournaments that I’m committed to for the remainder of this year.”

Davenport and Mauresmo have played each other 13 times previously, with Davenport leading the series 10-3 having won seven straight including the final here in Filderstadt last year, when Mauresmo was forced to retire after dropping the first set due to a left adductor strain.

"I’m looking forward to playing Lindsay tomorrow," Mauresmo said. "The serve will be very important there for sure and I will have to be very aggressive. We’ve had a lot of great matches in the past. The semifinal we played at Wimbledon was very close this year and hopefully things will go a little better for me in the final compared to last year."

For doubles fans, in semifinal play the first-time pairing of Hantuchova and Anastasia Myskina defeated Anabel Medina Garrigues and Dinara Safina 6-4, 7-6(0), and Kveta Peschke and Francesca Schiavone topped German wild cards Julia Schruff and Jasmin Woehr 7-6(3), 6-2.

Golovin, Vaidisova Meet in Tokyo Teen Final

Flash bulbs will be a-popping when teen sensations Tatiana “Hot Skirt” Golovin and 16-year-old Nicole “In” Vaidisova “For Dinner” battle for the Tokyo title on Sunday. The 17-year-old Golovin advanced to her first WTA final following an impressive 6-2, 6-4 win over Indian icon Sania Mirza.

"It was definitely tense," said Golovin after the match, which was halted due to rain late in the second set. "I had my chances at 5-0, but she played great to get those games. I just stayed in it and fought back and am happy to have gotten through.

"You never know what's going to happen against a player like her,” Golovin added. “She hits her forehand so hard, so I tried to mix it up and not give her much pace, step in when I had to and put pressure on her. She eventually broke down and starting making more unforced errors.”

The second-seeded Vaidisova advanced over No. 4 seed Maria Kirilenko by a 6-4, 6-2 margin.

Sunday's final between Vaidisova and Golovin will be their second meeting, with their only prior encounter taking place in the second round at Tokyo last year which Vaidisova won 6-4, 3-6, 6-4.

"Last year, I lost to Nicole, but I think people would say that Nicole and I are not playing the same tennis that we played last year," said Golovin. "We're more mature and confident. Tomorrow's match will definitely be different than last year's. People will see how much we improved. It will be a new match between two totally different players."

"I'm definitely excited to be in the final tomorrow and I'll give it my best," said Vaidisova. "She's a good player, so it's going to be a tough match."

The last all-teen final on the WTA came just last year in Birmingham where Golovin, then 16, fell to then-17-year-old Maria Sharapova. The all-time youngest final being the 1991 San Diego final, when Jennifer Capriati (15 years, four months), defeated Monica Seles (17 years, eight months).

In the Saturday doubles finale, No. 2 seeds Kirilenko and Gisela Dulko upset No.1 seeds Shinobu Asagoe and Maria Vento-Kabchi, 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 to capture their first WTA team title.

First-Time Finalists Krajicek, Amanmuradova Reach Tashkent Final

Michaella Krajicek and Akgul Amanmuradova both advanced on Saturday their first career WTA Tour final in Tashkent.

In the semifinals, the fifth-seeded Krajicek ousted top-seeded Russian Ekaterina Bychkova 6-1, 6-3 in just under an hour, while wildcard Amanmuradova sent home Italian No. 7 seed Maria Elena Camerin of Italy 6-3, 6-4.

Krajicek is the 16-year-old sister of 1996 Wimbledon champion Richard Krajicek.

"Today was a very good match. I played very well and am satisfied,” said Krajicek, who has beaten Bychkova in all three prior meetings. "Since I've beaten her before, I was confident but I didn't think it would be so easy."

Said Amanmuradova: "I played better than yesterday but that match (against Elena Vesnina) was tougher. Camerin looked tired, didn't hit as hard as Vesnina. I was confident and I played relaxed."

Camerin did gain some joy on the day after she and Emelie Loit won the doubles title defeating Anastassia Rodionova and Galina Voskoboeva of Russia 6-3, 6-0.

Ancic, Moodie Set for ATP Tokyo Final

No. 5 seed Mario Ancic had little trouble crushing Bjorn Phau of Germany 6-2, 6-1 in just 69 minutes to reach the Tokyo final.

“I played great today from the first point,” said Ancic. “I was putting a lot of pressure on his serve by returning good. I was feeling really confident. I'm working and it's paying off. I'm really happy, but in my head, it's about playing the same way I've been playing the past few days.”

Ancic blasted 13 aces and broke Phau twice in each set to reach the final where he’ll face surprising South African Wesley Moodie, a 4-6, 6-1, 7-6(4) victor over Jarkko Nieminen.

Ancic is playing his third final of 2005 and the fourth of his career. Earlier this year Ancic reached the final in Scottsdale (l. to Arthurs) and then claimed his first career title at ‘s-Hertogenbosch (d. Llodra). Moodie is appearing in his first ATP final.

Said Moodie: “I feel really tired. I played two matches yesterday, had time this morning, and then played late tonight. But I'm thrilled to be through to my first final.”

In doubles action, Simon Aspelin and Todd Perry reached their seventh final of 2005 with a 1-5, 5-4 (3), 5-2 win over Juan Monaco and Gilles Muller. Aspelin/Perry will take on wild cards Satoshi Iwabuchi and Takao Suzuki in the Sunday final.

Ljubicic Stops Davydenko to Face Monfils for Metz Title

No.3 seed Ivan Ljubicic will attempt to snap winless 2005 run in finals when he meets French teen Gael Monfils for the Metz crown on Sunday.

The Croatian Ljubicic advanced to his fifth final of the season following an easy 6-1, 6-4 victory over top seed Nikolay Davydenko.

Ljubicic unleashed 10 aces and never faced a break point in the one-hour, four-minute match against the 24-year-old Russian.

“Today I impressed myself, I don’t think I could have played any better,” said Ljubicic. “I felt the ball great from the beginning and after I broke him I wanted to hit harder and harder. I wanted to see where my limits were, but everything was going in, no matter how hard I was hitting. I just felt unbelievable.”

19-year-old Monfils needed 2 hours, 9 minutes to advance to his second career final, defeating Slovak Dominik Hrbaty 7-6(1), 1-6, 6-2.

The teenager, who lifted his first career trophy earlier this year in Sopot, was a quarterfinalist in Metz in 2004 when he fell to countryman Richard Gasquet.

Added Monfils: “I am very happy, being in a final doesn’t happen everyday. I want to thank my team because I have been working hard since quite some time now."

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