Davenport Ends Up a Sore Winner

It was obvious, painfully, that Lindsay Davenport wasn’t going to be able to run down many shots because of a sore right calf in the second set Saturday in the Fed Cup final.

What was working in her favor was that the serve of her opponent, Conchita Martinez, wasn’t moving quickly, either. Martinez was bothered by a sore right elbow and, at times, could barely put her serve in play.

Winning ugly? How about wincing ugly?

The dual injuries injected a small element of uncertainty into an otherwise ordinary final. Davenport alternated between limping and blasting winners, defeating Martinez, 6-1, 6-2, in 57 minutes. Her victory kept the Fed Cup at home for another year as the U.S. beat Spain, 5-0, at Mandalay Bay Events Center before about 5,000.

Spain suffered the shutout by losing the doubles match. Magui Serna and Virginia Ruano Pascual lost to Jennifer Capriati and Lisa Raymond, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2. In the other singles match, rendered meaningless after Davenport’s victory, Capriati defeated Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario, 6-1, 1-0 (retired).

It was the 17th Fed Cup championship for the United States. Last year, Davenport, Monica Seles and Venus and Serena Williams beat Russia, 4-1, at Palo Alto in the final.

“It was very nice to win, especially without the Williamses,” Davenport said. “We were unsure a couple of weeks ago. It definitely made it much harder without them here. It was great to beat Spain after losing to them two years ago, which was hard for everyone involved.”

Raymond said earlier the U.S. squad had been more concerned about the Belgians in the semifinals. And, as it turned out, teenagers Justine Henin and Kim Clijsters represented more of a threat than the ailing Spaniards.

It was downright painful to watch Martinez serve. The new, heavier balls, Tretorn Micro X, took a toll on her right elbow all week and Martinez said she could barely throw the ball in the air to serve.

“I had it in my mind,” she said.

Davenport lost only five points in the first four games and dropped three points on her own serve in the first set. Then trouble hit in the opening game of the second set, which featured nine deuces and four break points before she held her serve.

“This morning I felt it a little bit worse than the last two days,” Davenport said. “I thought it could present a bit of a problem. The first set went fine. It didn’t feel bad at all. In the second set, I went a little bit wide for a forehand and felt it pull. I was unsure what would happen. Fortunately, I was able to go for winners and I have that style of game.”

Said Martinez: “I tried to fight, but she was hitting bombs, so what could you do?”

The Spaniards could have replaced the injured Martinez with Serna, who, quite likely, could have put up more of a fight.

Additionally, the Spaniards didn’t make a substitution for Sanchez-Vicario. After 27 minutes and eight games, Sanchez-Vicario shook hands with Capriati and retired. Apparently, she had been bothered by an upset stomach.