| TOKYO (TICKER) -- Martina Hingis and Lindsay Davenport
set up their 23rd career clash Saturday with semifinal victories at the
Pan Pacific Open tennis event.
Seeking her fourth title here in five years, Hingis posted a 6-3, 1-6,
6-0 victory over eighth seed Magdalena Maleeva of Bulgaria, who was making
her third semifinal appearance here but first since 1995.
Davenport, seeded second from the United States, got past third seed
Anna Kournikova of Russia, 6-1, 6-7 (5-7), 6-0, in a rematch of their Australian
Open quarterfinal encounter on January 23. Davenport won that match and
three in a row to improve to 7-3 lifetime against Kournikova.
On Sunday, Hingis will try to beat Davenport for the second time this
season after posting a 6-3, 4-6, 7-5 victory in the final of the adidas
International at Sydney in January. However, Daveport owns a 12-10 edge
in the all-time rivalry.
Hingis, who has been stretched to three sets in her last two matches,
raised her season record to 17-1 with Saturday's win. The 20-year-old from
Switzerland is coming off a loss to Jennifer Capriati in the Australian
Open final after defeating sisters Venus and Serena Williams back-to-back
to earn a spot in the championship match.
In addition to the three titles she has won here (1997, 1999-2000),
Hingis finished as the runner-up in 1998.
Kournikova, still searching for that elusive first singles title, saw
her title drought reach 84 straight tournaments with her loss to Davenport.
The 24-year-old Davenport, who lost to Capriati in the Australian Open
semifinals, dropped just seven games before her one-hour, 27-minute encounter
with Kournikova.
Davenport is making her sixth straight appearance at this tournament,
taking the title in 1998 and finishing second in 1995.
First prize at the $1.188 million event is $175,000.
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