Davenport ends dream of local favourite

Top seed Lindsay Davenport advanced to the semi-finals of the Australian Open with a thrilling victory over local favourite Alicia Molik.

In front of a capacity 16,000 crowd hoping to celebrate Australia Day with victories for Molik and Lleyton Hewitt, Davenport had to use all her experience to win 6-4 4-6 9-7 in two hours and 33 minutes.

Davenport will play France’s Nathalie Dechy in tomorrow’s semi-finals, the 19th seed beating Switzerland’s Patty Schnyder 5-7 6-1 7-5.

“I am not sure how I am standing here. I feel very lucky to get through that,” said a relieved Davenport, seeking to end a five-year Grand Slam title drought in Melbourne.

“There were a lot of ups and downs. I feel I had it in the third set and let it go and a lot of times you do not get another opportunity.

“It was a really tough match, Alicia is a great player and a great sport. She had the crowd on her side but I understand that. There are no hard feelings!”

Davenport broke in the opening game of the match but was pegged back in the fourth as Molik, who was born in Adelaide but lives in Melbourne, calmed her early nerves with a number of thumping serves.

The world number one had won all three of her previous meetings with Molik without dropping a set, and looked in command again when she broke again in the ninth game and served out for the set with her fourth ace.

Davenport was also a break up early in the second but after Molik, certain to move into the top 10 in the world next week regardless of the result, quickly levelled, it was surprisingly the American who buckled under pressure.

Serving to stay in the set at 4-5 down, Davenport sent down two double faults in succession to gift Molik the set.

After taking advantage of the 10-minute break allowed under the extreme heat policy, Davenport had to save four break points at the start of the decider before gaining a break of serve in the seventh game.

The 28-year-old again proved susceptible to pressure however, failing to serve out for the match as Molik saved one match point to get back to 5-5.

The next four games went with serve before Davenport, winner here in 2000, achieved the crucial break in the 15th game, this time closing out the match after saving two more break points.