Davenport Makes an Easy Match Look Hard

The reward for surviving the Dokic Tempest was supposed to be an easy second-round match against a 146th-ranked qualifier from Germany who was playing in her first Australian Open.

Close examination of defending champion Lindsay Davenport’s body language suggested otherwise. After 21-year-old Greta Arn held serve to take a 3-2 lead in the second set, a disgusted Davenport walked over to her chair on the changeover and threw her racket down. For the mild-mannered Davenport, the frustration was out of character.

The opponent noticed the anger. “It was kind of frustrating for her,” Arn said.

Though Davenport pulled herself together, winning, 6-2, 4-6, 6-2, today, it is clear the 2001 Australian Open has been a sterner test--on and off the court--than last year when she won the tournament without losing a set.

Davenport was stung by recent insensitive comments about her physique by former tour player, Pat Cash, who is now a TV analyst and coach.

Cash sent Davenport a note, explaining the remarks about her were taken out of context. Once that crisis cleared, there was the hype of the Dokic match.

Seventeen-year-old Jelena Dokic, under close scrutiny after deciding to represent Yugoslavia instead of Australia, nearly defeated Davenport, losing in three sets.

Apparently the residue of the Dokic match hadn’t quite disappeared.

“It was a little bit of a letdown after that match was over,” Davenport said. “It seemed like there was a lot of hype about it since the draw came out, a lot of media stuff going on around that match. And I just didn’t sleep great after the match and was a little bit tired yesterday and just didn’t play great today.

“It’s tough to go from something really big then to a match you’re supposed to win handily. At this point in my career, I should be able to handle it a little bit better, but, again, I was just getting a little crabby out there.”

Davenport’s longtime coach, Robert Van’t Hof noticed her malaise last week in Sydney when she lost in the finals to Martina Hingis.

“You probably shouldn’t get down on yourself at 5-5 in the third set,” he said. “Or late in any set because it’s not going to help. I guess you have to realize it for yourself. You have to find out what makes you happy.

“She knows. I’ve told her sometimes very harshly and sometimes kind of funny. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. She realizes it and has to accept it and do better with it.”

Last year, Davenport’s biggest test was when she lost nine games to Marissa Irvin in the second round at the Australian Open, though Jennifer Capriati did push her to a tiebreaker in the semifinals.

“I don’t know what it says,” Davenport said. “I think it just says that I’m a little bit away from my A-game right now, but I’ve got some time to work back into the groove and girls are definitely getting better. There’s no question about it.

“At the same time, I just felt like I’ve allowed these girls to play well. Last year, I wasn’t really allowing that to happen.”

Davenport isn’t the only favorite to struggle in the second round. On the men’s side, second-seeded Marat Safin of Russia, who needed four sets to win his first match, avoided a fifth set Wednesday by winning a fourth-set tiebreaker against Andrei Pavel of Romania, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (5).

Safin, the U.S. Open champion, saved his best shot of the match for the tiebreaker, chasing down a Pavel lob and hitting a shot between his legs, finally winning the point with an emphatic backhand down the line.

Two other seeded players exited in second-round action. Fifth-seeded Conchita Martinez of Spain became the highest-seeded player to lose. No. 93-ranked Emmanuelle Gagliardi of Switzerland squandered a 5-2 third-set lead but held on to defeat Martinez, 5-7, 6-3, 8-6.

On the men’s side, crowd favorite Andrew Ilie of Australia beat ninth-seeded Juan Carlos Ferrero of Spain, 3-6, 6-2, 6-1, 1-6, 6-2. With half of the second round nearly complete, Ferrero is the only seeded player on the men’s side to lose.

Ilie’s win continued a positive trend for the Australian men. Last night, seventh-seeded Lleyton Hewitt provided a jolt of energy and drama in a five-set epic against Jonas Bjorkman of Sweden in a first-round match, winning, 7-5, 4-6, 2-6, 6-3, 6-2.

He survived a determined effort by Bjorkman and an injured hamstring. The 19-year-old Hewitt thought about another tight situation--the first match of the Davis Cup final against Spain in December--and it carried him through here.

“The crowd was fantastic,” Hewitt said. “They lifted me out there tonight. I was 2-1 sets down in that [Alberto] Costa match in Davis Cup and it sort of brought back memories when I was down in tonight’s match as well. The energy that I could draw off the crowd tonight, it was fantastic. It was unbelievable.”

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Pictures and footage of Venus Williams’ revealing outfit dominated the coverage of the Australian Open and the other players took note of her difficulties with her outfit. For her opening doubles match, Williams changed course, opting for a conservative white shirt. It worked, as she teamed with sister Serena to defeat Renata Kolbobic of Canada and Nirupama Vaidyanathan of India, 6-1, 6-3.

“I thought [the first outfit] was a little bizarre to play tennis in,” Davenport said of the skimpy ensemble. “She seemed like she was always trying to pull it up. Probably doesn’t look like it’s too tennis-friendly.”

Hingis had a similar opinion.

“Well, I don’t know if that was one of her creations,” she said. “She just got this deal with Reebok, so they had to come up with something new. I don’t know if I would be able to wear something like that. I’m very happy with my outfit.”