Sharapova, Davenport Bow to All-French Final at WTA Championships

Posted on November 13, 2005

Following a record year of injuries in tennis, the Saturday semifinals at the WTA Championships in Los Angeles was more of the same for disappointed fans when defending champion and marketing magnet Maria Sharapova was hindered by a recurring injury in a 7-6(1), 6-3 loss to Amelie Mauresmo.

"[It] is still not one hundred percent. I couldn't serve very big, especially in the second set," said Sharapova on the effects of the pectoral injury that hasn't healed for three months now. "That's not very good when you're playing a top player in the semifinals. Without the injury, I felt like I was in control."

Sharapova looked strong out of the gate, breaking Mauresmo to open the match but was rolled in the first-set tiebreak after her serve and forehand abandoned her.

"The tiebreak was just a big giveaway, and from then on, it was kind of downhill," Sharapova said.

For Mauresmo it is her second appearance in the year-end final after losing to Kim Clijsters in 2003.

"At 5-2 down, I felt I could still come back," Mauresmo said. "I only had one bad game on my own service. I didn't know she got injured. Maybe that's why she didn't manage to put her first serves in on big moments."

In the all-French final Mauresmo will be the underdog against the hot-handed Mary Pierce, who was the steadier of the two in a big-hitting battle with world No. 1 Lindsay Davenport, edging the American 7-6(5), 7-6(6).

"On paper, I'm not supposed to be doing what I'm doing. This is great," Pierce said. "It's setting a precedent, having good wins against top players."

For Davenport it was the opposite, a continuation of her poor career record against the top players in the year-end finale.

"When it was 5-all, I felt lucky to be in the set," said Davenport, who had 24 unforced errors to Pierce's 10. "We each broke once in the whole match, which is crazy because we're normally good returners and putting on a lot of pressure. She played really well when it got close, went for the lines and made them."

It will be the first year-end championship captured by a Frenchwoman on Sunday, with Pierce also making a previous appearance in the final eight years ago.

"It is going to be a tough one," said Mauresmo, who lost to Pierce earlier in the week in round robin play. "She has been playing very well for the last few months and obviously really being consistent at the highest level probably since she reached the final at the French Open. We know each other pretty well. We have been playing against each other last night and practicing many times together. So we will see."

Winners in the doubles semifinals were (1) Black/Stubbs (d. Russians Likhovtseva/Zvonareva) and (2) Raymond/Stosur (d. Spaniards Martinez/Ruano Pascual in three sets).