Davenport wins but misses semi spot

Lindsay Davenport (pictured) shook off a lethargic first set to storm past Serena Williams 3-6 7-5 6-1 in the season-ending WTA Tour Championships at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

But despite the loss, Williams clinched a semi-final berth from the Red Group, even though she finished with the same 2-1 record as Davenport, having won one more set during her three matches.

“It’s cool that you can lose and still play,” Williams said of the complicated round-robin format. “I feel like I’m cheating that I am still in the tournament.

“I feel like as though I should go home, but I guess I have a match tomorrow. It’s weird, but that’s okay.”

Top-ranked Davenport would have advanced if Anastasia Myskina had lost to Elena Dementieva in the day’s final match.

But her hopes were dashed when Myskina clinched the last semi-final spot by defeating her fellow Russian 6-3 6-3.

Myskina knew what was at stake and turned in a solid 80-minute effort.

Like Davenport, the Russian finished with a 2-1 record but got through by virtue of her 5-2 set record compared to 4-3 for Davenport.

“I had a really clear picture, either I go home or I stay here for the semi-final,” said Myskina, who won when Dementieva double-faulted at match point. “I’m pretty happy. I was thinking if I play my best, I can win.”

As a reward, Myskina gets to face another Russian in Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova, while France’s Amelie Mauresmo meets Williams in the opener.

“Tomorrow is a pretty tough match for me,” Myskina said. “Maria has played really well here.”

Mauresmo took advantage of 35 unforced errors to defeat Sharapova 7-5 6-4 in their first career meeting.

The error-filled match was a mere formality since Mauresmo (3-0) and Sharapova (2-1) had already claimed spots in the last four from the Black Group on Friday night.

“I think it was hard for us to be 100% focused because we had both qualified for the semis,” said Mauresmo. “It was up and down from both of us.”

With Davenport’s departure, Mauresmo can replace her as the WTA’s top-ranked player if she wins Monday’s final.

“If Amelie is able to win this tournament and the two before (Linz and Philadelphia), she definitely deserves it,” said Davenport, who had a 351-point lead over Mauresmo heading into the year-ending event.

“She was a lot of points behind, and to come back and win all three tournaments, that is a great accomplishment.”