| SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA (TICKER) -- Four players who will
square off in doubles later tonight will meet individually in today's semifinal
action at the $535,000 State Farm Tennis Classic.
After struggling in her first two matches, second seed Lindsay Davenport
of the United States hopes to have an easier time with sixth seed Anna
Kournikova of Russia, who Davenport has beaten twice in 2000 without losing
a set.
Two players who have looked dominant this week do battle in tonight's
second semifinal when top seed Martina Hingis of Switzerland battles third
seed Mary Pierce of France.
The reigning Australian Open champion, Davenport rallied from a set
down to defeat Jennifer Capriati in the second round before ending Monica
Seles' season-opening six-match winning streak on Friday with a 6-4, 6-4
quarterfinal victory.
Davenport has reached the final in her first two tournaments of the
season, capturing her third Grand Slam singles title with a victory over
Hingis in Australia.
Still searching for her first career singles title, Kournikova scored
an impressive 6-4, 6-2 victory over unseeded Ai Sugiyama of Japan on Friday
night.
Kournikova has dropped just 11 games in her first three matches, but
made major off-the-court news earlier this week when it was announced she
was engaged to NHL superstar Pavel Bure.
Davenport is 4-2 lifetime against Kournikova, including 3-1 on hard
courts. However, Kournikova won their most recent meeting on the hard surface,
6-4, 2-6, 6-2, at the 1998 Lipton Championships.
The current world No. 1, Hingis defeated seventh seed Sandrine Testud
of France, 6-4, 6-2, on Thursday night to earn a spot in the semifinals.
This is Hingis' first tournament since defeating Testud in last month's
Pan Pacific Open final in Tokyo.
Hingis cannot overlook Pierce, who has lost just six games and spent
a total of one hour, 42 minutes on the court in her two wins. Pierce routed
fellow Frenchwoman Nathalie Dechy, 6-3, 6-2 on Friday.
Overall, Hingis is 8-5 lifetime against Pierce, including victories
in their last three meetings.
Hingis and Pierce will meet Davenport and Kournikova in the doubles
semifinals, shortly after Hingis and Pierce clash in singles.
First prize at this hardcourt event is $87,000.
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