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Lindsay Davenport
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LINDSAY DAVENPORT beat world number one Martina Hingis to take the Pan Pacific Open tennis tournament in Tokyo yesterday, regaining the title she won in 1998.
The American former world number one used her powerful strokes from the outset and fired 14 aces to help her to a 6-7 (4/7), 6-4, 6-2 victory over Hingis, who was aiming to take the event for a record fourth time.
Neither could break the other in the first set with Davenport saving a double break opportunity in the eighth game at 15-40, hitting four consecutive winners, including an ace and two serves.
But Davenport hit two backhands into the net in the crucial tie-breaker to lose the set when Hingis was leading 5-4.
A disappointed Davenport hit another backhand into the net to lose her service in the opener of the second set, but never hesitated to hit hard, pulling off a break in the fouth and 10th games to even the match.
Hingis came back from 1-3 in the decider thanks to Davenport's double fault on an advantage point for the Swiss Miss in the fifth game.
But Hingis also double faulted at 15-40 in the following game to again go down 2-4, and it was enough for the former world number one to keep the lead for the victory.
With her first title of the season and the 31st of her career, Davenport avenged her three-set loss to Hingis in the Sydney final last month.
She also defeated Hingis when she won the 1998 final.
Davenport, 24, stretched her win-loss record against Hingis to 13-10 in major tournaments and collected a check of US$175,000. (SD-Agencies)
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