Davenport Able to Navigate the Doldrums to Beat Sidot

Lindsay Davenport said she’s in a funk. She’s just burned out.

Why else did she move so sluggishly on the court, giving up easy shots and lacking intensity in a second-round match at the estyle.com Classic at the Manhattan Country Club in Manhattan Beach on Thursday.

“Unfortunately, I’m at a cycle right now where I’m not playing well,” she said. “It happens to everyone at some time. So I just have to keep playing to fight my way through it.”

Fight she did. Davenport, seeded second, bounced back from last week’s second-round loss at the Acura Classic by defeating Anne-Gaelle Sidot of France, 7-6 (0), 6-7 (4), 6-2.

“Probably the only reason that I won today was because I served well,” said Davenport, whose serve was broken only once.

In the first set Davenport held off six break points. Each player held serve and then in the tiebreaker, Davenport overpowered Sidot and did not let her score a point.

Davenport had a 5-4 lead in the second set and a chance to close out the match, but Sidot fought off five match points.

“I think I only had one really good opportunity on those points,” Davenport said. “But the other times she just made really good shots. You never want to be in that position, but luckily I broke right away in the third set and managed to gain some momentum.”

Sidot eventually forced the tiebreaker and Davenport double-faulted to lose the second set.

“I’m not on the court to save match points,” Sidot said. “I’m here to try to win. So I’m disappointed.”

Davenport won the Australian Open in January and at one point had a 21-match winning streak. For months she struggled with a strained groin and then with a back injury. Thursday she appeared listless and dispirited in the three-set victory, raising the question of whether there was something wrong with her physically.

“It’s not physical,” she said. “I wish I could tell you that, but I’m not injured. Mentally I’m just not focused, or eager as maybe I was a few months ago, and when you’re not hitting the ball well, there’s not a lot to get excited for.”

Although she’s fatigued, Davenport, a finalist at Wimbledon, decided to play in Manhattan Beach because it’s close to her current home, Laguna Beach, and her hometown, Palos Verdes. She’s scheduled to play in four consecutive tournaments leading up to the U.S. Open.

“Taking time off is not an option right now,” she said. “I’m just going to play my way through it and try to get ready for the U.S. Open. I feel OK but just don’t feel like I have the shots that I want to hit.”

In the featured night match, defending champion Serena Williams defeated Conchita Martinez, 6-2, 4-6, 6-2, in what she called her first true test of the tournament.

Williams, seeded fifth, was not satisfied with her performance, and said she had trouble attacking.

“I just wasn’t moving up to the ball,” Williams said. “And then when I came to the net I missed too many shots. That was happening through the whole match.”

The fourth-seeded Martinez fought back in the second set and broke Williams three times, but Williams took a 5-0 lead in the third set.

“I’m pretty strong mentally,” Williams said. “I wasn’t playing my best game but I just hung in there.”

In other matches, Amy Frazier upset seventh-seeded Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, to reach the quarterfinals. She will face Martina Hingis, who lost to Frazier last week at the Acura Classic.

Lisa Raymond also advanced to the quarterfinals, defeating Daja Bedanova of the Czech Republic, 6-4, 6-4.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Featured Matches

Today’s schedule at the

estyle.com Classic:

Center Court, 11 a.m.

* Lisa Raymond vs. Elena Dementieva, followed by Martina Hingis (1) vs. Amy Frazier, followed by Raymond/Rennae Stubbs vs. Nicole Arendt/Manon Bollegraf.

Center Court, 7 p.m.

* Sandrine Testud vs. Lindsay Davenport (2), followed by Kimberly Po/Anne-Gaelle Sidot vs. Arantxa Sanchez- Vicario/Barbara Schett.