| LOS ANGELES (TICKER) -- Serena Williams defeated Martina
Hingis in last year's U.S. Open final for her first Grand Slam singles
title. The two will meet for the first time since in today's semifinals
of the $535,000 estyle.com Classic.
Second seed and California native Lindsay Davenport looks to move one
win away from her firts title since April when she battles Russian teenager
Elena Dementieva in tonight's second semifinal.
On Friday, the top-seeded Hingis avenged a loss to American Amy Frazier
last week in San Diego with a convincing 6-2, 6-1 quarterfinal victory.
Hingis has won four titles this season, including the Ericsson Open
on hard courts, and has reached the finals at three other hardcourt events,
including the Australian Open.
The Swiss teenager has won a WTA Tour-leading 48 matches this season,
against only seven losses. One of those losses came against Serena's older
sister Venus in the quarterfinals at Wimbledon, where Venus started her
run of three straight tournament wins.
Seeded fifth, Williams moved into the semis on Thursday night with a
three-set win over fourth seed and former champion Conchita Martinez of
Spain.
Williams has compiled a 23-6 record this season, including 18-4 on hard
courts. The 18-year-old claimed her only tournament win in 2000 in February
on hard courts at the Faber Grand Prix in Hannover, Germany.
Hingis and Williams have split their six previous meetings, but Williams
has taken the last two, including a 6-3, 7-5 semifinal victory in last
year's event en route to the title. Williams defeated Hingis by the identical
score in last year's U.S. Open final.
Davenport, a two-time champion here, moved into the semifinals on Friday
night as she breezed past eighth seed Sandrine Testud of France, 6-4, 6-2.
Ranked No. 2 in the world behind Hingis, the 24-year-old Davenport is
seeking her third title of the season and first since early April. Both
of her tournament wins have come on hard courts, including the Australian
Open in January.
The 18-year-old Dementieva advanced to her second hardcourt semifinal
of the season on Friday as she rallied past American Lisa Raymond, 2-6,
6-1, 6-4.
Dementieva, ranked No. 32, also reached the semifinals at Indian Wells,
California in March, which Davenport won easily, 6-2, 6-1. Davenport is
3-0 overall against the Russian.
First prize is $87,000.
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