Davenport, Sampras Show Top Form

No one said staying No. 1 is easy.

Ask Pete Sampras.

But if living up to the top ranking is a test, so far Lindsay Davenport has passed.

Turning up her power game against second-seeded Venus Williams, the 22-year-old from Newport Beach prevailed, 7-5, 6-3, Sunday to win the $1-million European Championships at Zurich, Switzerland, for the second straight year. Davenport is the first female player this year to win six titles.

“Definitely when I became No. 1 there was more pressure and incentive to win the tournament,” said Davenport, who last week ended Martina Hingis’ 80-week stay at the top of the rankings. “People are saying, ‘She’s No. 1, but does she deserve it?’ You always get that talk.

“I’m not uncomfortable with the ranking, but once you get to No. 1, it’s nice to win and be able to play as well as during the chase to one.”

Williams, ranked fifth in the world, wasn’t too disappointed.

“She’s playing well, improving her game,” Williams said. “Right now, I’m in the beginning stages and obviously Lindsay is a strong player. I’ve just been on the tour for 1 1/2 years and I’m trying to make my improvements too.”

At 5-5 in the first set, Williams was serving and leading 40-30, but lost the next seven points, giving Davenport the break and the set.

The next set began with a display of the players’ power. Neither was able to gain a point on the other’s serve for the first four games.

At 2-2, Davenport broke Williams, then held for a 4-2 lead. Davenport broke Williams again at 5-3, when the teenager smashed a forehand into the net, ending the match.

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At Vienna, No. 1-ranked Pete Sampras showed he’s back at the top of his game, beating No. 5-seeded Karol Kucera of Slovakia, 6-3, 7-6 (7-3), 6-1, to win the $800,000 CA Trophy tournament.

It was the fourth tournament victory this year for Sampras, who has won 56 in his career, and it furthered his bid to become the first to finish the season as the world’s top male player for the sixth consecutive year.

“The field was very strong, and it’s amazing how things can turn around so quickly in life,” Sampras said, referring to his first-round loss at Basel, Switzerland, last week.

Sampras dominated from the start, breaking Kucera at 3-1 with strong returns before serving out the set.

But after breaking Kucera again to open the second set, Sampras struggled. Kucera broke him for 4-4 and eventually forced a tiebreaker.

“The key was the second set,” said Sampras, whose victory earned him $125,400. “I knew it would be hard for him to come back after being two sets down.”

“When I am confident I am tough to beat.”

In the third set, Sampras overpowered the Slovak, who is the world’s No. 7 player.

“I played Pete four times now, and he played his best match against me today,” said Kucera.

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Marcelo Rios, insisting he will regain the world’s top ranking, defeated Australia’s Mark Woodforde, 6-4, 6-2, to win the Singapore Open.

Woodforde, a doubles expert playing his first singles final in four years, couldn’t keep up with the Chilean’s blistering pace.

“I was No. 1, then I went to No. 3, and now I’m coming back,” Rios said after winning his seventh title of the year, worth $107,000. “I feel good. I’m excited about playing tournaments.”

Rios’ climb back up the rankings got a boost from Patrick Rafter’s loss in the quarterfinals of the CA Trophy tournament. Rios is expected to replace Rafter at No. 2 when the rankings are released today.