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Chalk up another one Davenport continues dominance over Dokic
Updated: Thursday November 01, 2001 4:00 PM MUNICH, Germany (AP) -- Lindsay Davenport certainly looks as if she's the No. 1 women's tennis player. She could be by next week. Davenport won her 14th straight match Thursday, beating Jelena Dokic 6-4, 6-2 to reach the semifinals of the Sanex Championships. The victory allowed Davenport, who has won her last three tournaments, to move forward in her attempt to overtake Jennifer Capriati atop the rankings. Capriati, who had Thursday off, can stay at No. 1 by reaching the final. Davenport, though, insists she isn't too preoccupied with the top spot or a potential match against Capriati here. "Whatever happens, happens," Davenport said. "I can't control the play of other players. I can just play my game. Jennifer is still No. 1." Davenport's late-season surge put her just a few rankings points behind Capriati heading into this season-ending event. Davenport probably has to win her fourth tournament in as many weeks to claim the top spot before the tour breaks for two months. At the start of these championships, Capriati had 4,962 ranking points to Davenport's 4,901. Capriati, bothered by a throat infection, faces Sandrine Testud on Friday. Davenport next plays Kim Clijsters, who beat Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario 7-5, 6-1 Thursday. Clijsters, who owns a win over Davenport, said the American looked fitter than she'd ever seen her. "She's serving so well, I just have to stay focused and take any chance I get," Clijsters said. Davenport slammed an ace to end the match against Dokic in 58 minutes, her third victory in as many weeks over the Yugoslav teen-ager. "It gives you a lot of confidence beating a player three straight times," Davenport said. "I knew if I did the things I do well, I should win." Davenport also beat Dokic, who has jumped from 26th to eighth in the rankings this year, in the finals at Zurich and Linz heading into this event. Davenport believes Dokic will be a star in the future. "The hardest and biggest thing then is beating the players ahead of you, the top five," Davenport said. "She'll get there." Davenport rolled to a 5-1 lead before Dokic could stage a bit of a comeback. But Dokic's faint chances slipped away with a double fault that set up an early service break in the second set. The Sanex Championships bring together the world's top 16 players. This year's field, however, was depleted by injuries to Venus Williams and Martina Hingis. And Monica Seles hasn't played in Germany since she was stabbed in Hamburg during a match in 1993.
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