Davenport Stays Perfect Against Frazier With Win

If Lindsay Davenport retires at the end of the year, as she has hinted she might, Amy Frazier might be first in line to raise a toast.

Davenport is 10-0 against Frazier after a 6-2, 6-4 victory Thursday in the third round of the JPMorgan Chase Open at the Home Depot Center, perhaps the most predictable result on a day when form mostly held in the WTA event.

“I’ve played her a lot of times and know what to expect ... but she can always play well and hits the ball very well,” said a diplomatic Davenport, who has failed to defeat Frazier in straight sets only once in a series of lopsided matches spanning 10 years. “But a lot of times I am able to get a few breaks and maybe overpower her on some points.... But the rallies are always pretty tough.”

Seven of the top eight seeded players moved into today’s quarterfinals, only sixth-seeded Ai Sugiyama of Japan failing to advance. Sugiyama lost to Francesca Schiavone of Italy, 6-3, 0-6, 7-6 (3).

In other featured matches, top-seeded Serena Williams needed only 53 minutes to overpower Arantxa Parra Santonja of Spain, 6-0, 6-3; second-seeded Venus Williams beat Elena Likhovtseva in 48 minutes, 6-1, 6-1, running her record against the Russian to 9-0; fourth-seeded Elena Dementieva led a group of four Russians into the round of eight by eliminating Chanda Rubin, 7-5, 7-6 (8); and fifth-seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia was a 6-3, 6-0 winner over Anna Smashnova-Pistolesi of Israel.

Davenport, seeded third and a seven-time finalist in an event that until last year was played in Manhattan Beach, spurred talk of retirement this month when she hinted after losing in the semifinals at Wimbledon that she might have played her last match at the All-England Club.

Married 15 months ago to Jon Leach, a former USC player, and interested in starting a family, the 28-year-old Davenport is undecided about her future on the professional tennis tour. But she’s not ready for a retirement tour.

“I haven’t thought about it in those terms,” said Davenport, who won last week’s event at Palo Alto, defeating Venus Williams in Sunday’s final. “I just look at it more like I have a great opportunity this summer as I’m finally feeling healthy and feel like I’m playing a lot better ... so I look at it more as an opportunity....

“I just finally feel excited that I don’t have to have negative energy with injuries and other stuff going on. I just feel like it could be a great summer.”

In front of only about 500 spectators on center court, Davenport continued her mastery of the 31-year-old Frazier despite losing the first two games.

Earlier, Serena Williams overwhelmed Parra Santonja in front of about 1,500, among them fellow Compton native Tayshaun Prince of the Detroit Pistons, and talked wistfully afterward of the 8 1/2 months she was sidelined after knee surgery.

“I got to live life a little bit,” said Williams, who returned to the tour in March. “I hung out a lot in L.A., just enjoyed myself. I never in my life, since I was like 3, could recall not thinking about tennis for two weeks or three weeks in a row.

“I even lost my rackets temporarily. I didn’t know where they were.... I had to really think about which home I left them in; I couldn’t find them.”

She found them in L.A. and is 24-4 since returning.

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Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova, who withdrew from the tournament last week, has committed to play in next year’s tournament, said Tim Leiweke, president of Anschutz Entertainment Group, which owns the event.

Venus Williams, on the bobbleheads of her sister that will be given out tonight: “It’s one of those things that you just dream about, like being on the cover of the Wheaties box. I can’t wait to get my own bobblehead.” Is that when you know you’ve really made it? “That’s when you know.” ... Thursday’s attendance was 5,108.

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Featured Matches

Today at Home Depot Center in Carson:

CENTER COURT, noon

* Nadia Petrova vs. Lindsay Davenport

* Francesca Schiavone vs. Venus Williams

CENTER COURT, 8 p.m.

* Serena Williams vs. Vera Zvonareva