STANFORD, Calif. -- Lindsay Davenport and Venus Williams will play yet another final at the Bank of the West Classic -- and this one probably is the last.
Williams overpowered Amy Frazier 6-3, 6-1, and Davenport beat Maria Vento-Kabchi 6-3, 6-2 to set up their fourth finals meeting in seven years at the Stanford tournament.
It will be the 23rd career meeting between the California natives -- and if Davenport follows through on her tentative plan to retire after the season, it could be the last.
"I'll definitely miss playing her, that's for sure, if she decides to retire," said Williams, the tournament's top seed.
Davenport fought off an impressive effort in the late match by Vento-Kabchi, a Venezuelan without a WTA tour victory but with a history of success at Stanford.
Davenport, the No. 2 seed, broke Vento-Kabchi late in the first set, then got an early break in the second. She closed the match confidently, with her serve cracking 112 mph consistently.
"I've always enjoyed playing here, ever since it moved to Stanford," Davenport said. "I'm just thrilled to be in another final here."
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| Venus Williams benefits from Amy Frazier's mistakes in the semifinals Saturday.(AP) |
"We've played so many times, it's really amazing," Davenport said. "We played a lot of times before she became great, a lot of times when she was ranked No. 1, and now she's coming back. It will be nice to see her."
After losing eight of the first nine matchups during their careers, Williams has won nine of the last 10.
"When I first came out, she was a tough player to play against," Williams said. "For whatever reason, I just had a real tough time against her. What really changed is that I learned how to play, pretty much."
"When she was able to turn the tide against me, she turned it against everybody," Davenport said with a grin. "It says a lot about her game. She improved it quite a bit."
Williams recovered from a slow start and advanced to the tournament's title match for the fifth time in seven years. Frazier double-faulted 14 times and made 33 unforced errors under oppressive sun at Stanford's Taube Family Tennis Center.
"It really was her double-faults that hurt her a lot," Williams said. "I think it's good to come out and play really tough and really hard. I need to be in those situations. ... It is nice to keep (the matches) short, especially with a couple of tough weeks coming up."
Frazier earned consecutive service breaks on Williams in the first set, taking a 3-2 lead -- but her game fell apart. She made nine double-faults in the first set, most while losing four straight games.
The serve problems continued in the second set, while Williams' groundstrokes got stronger. Even Frazier knew she was done late in the match when Williams' serve was called out -- but Frazier overruled, giving Williams an ace and a 4-0 lead.
"I wish I could blame the sun, but I knew she was going to return really well, so I felt pressure from the beginning," Frazier said. "Once she got the momentum, she cut down on her unforced errors. I was feeling more pressure, and it was a bit of a snowball effect."
Frazier, who turns 32 in September, made her 14th straight appearance in the tournament, and she sees no reason she won't be back. Though considerably older than many top women's players, she still produces steady results around the world.
"I love playing, and I still really enjoy playing," Frazier said. "I try not to plan anything too far in advance. As long as I'm enjoying playing, I'll play."
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