Saturday January 15 5:51 AM
ET Mauresmo Beats Davenport in Sydney |
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Saturday January 15 5:51 AM
ET Mauresmo Beats Davenport in Sydney |
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By JOHN PYE Associated Press Writer
SYDNEY, Australia (AP) - If Amelie Mauresmo needed a confidence boost, her performance at the Sydney International is all she'll need.
The sixth-seeded Mauresmo fought back from a break down today to force a tiebreaker in the first set against defending champ Lindsay Davenport en route to a 7-6 (7-2), 6-4 victory.
The win came a day after Mauresmo, ranked ninth in the world, beat top-ranked Martina Hingis.
``It gives you a lot of confidence to get this momentum against the top players,'' Mauresmo said. ``It feels great. Every match is better and better - my shape also, I'm very happy with what I've done.''
The 20-year-old French right-hander continued her impressive run against higher-ranked players after eliminating compatriot Mary Pierce in the quarterfinals and Hingis in Friday's semifinal.
Mauresmo, last year's Australian Open runnerup, had five aces - the fifth giving her a championship point - and drilled a series of strong backhands to overpower her American rival.
Mauresmo and Davenport are 3-3 in head-to-heads, with Mauresmo adding this tournament to victories in last year's Australian Open semifinal and the Paris Indoors.
``I'm very happy to come back to Australia after what happened here last year,'' said Mauresmo, beaten by Hingis in last year's International final. ``I don't know, the way I play, I think I must like it here.''
