| LOS ANGELES (TICKER) -- Top seed Martina Hingis and second seed Lindsay Davenport look to continue their mastery of their respective opponents Saturday in the semifinals of the $565,000 estyle.com Classic hardcourt tennis event.
Hingis has won 12 of her 15 lifetime meetings with No. 6 Monica Seles of the United States. However, Seles ended her seven-game losing streak against the Swiss star last week, winning their Acura Classic semifinal at San Diego, 6-3, 6-4.
Davenport will look to extend her winning streak over No. 5 Nathalie Tauziat of France. The American also owns a 12-3 lifetime record against her semifinal opponent.
Hingis, the only semifinalist who has yet to drop a set, cruised into the final four. She routed 12th seed Amy Frazier of the United States, 6-2, 6-3.
The world No. 1 has reached the semifinals of the estyle.com Classic in all five of her appearances, advancing to the final in 1998.
Hingis, 20, has won three hardcourt events this year -- the adidas International, Qatar Open and Dubai Open. However, the world No. 1 has not captured a tournament since February.
Seles derailed Serena Williams' hopes for a third straight estyle.com title on Friday, posting a 6-2, 3-6, 7-6 (7-2) triumph to defeat her fellow American for the first time in four meetings.
Seles is gunning for her fourth title here, having won in 1990, 1991 and 1997. After struggling with a foot injury this spring, she advanced to the semifinals at Stanford and the final at San Diego the previous two weeks.
Davenport struggled to reach the last four. She snapped a two-match losing streak against Elena Dementieva, rallying for a 5-7, 6-4, 6-2 victory.
The Californian was forced to retire from her previous encounter with Dementieva in the Ericsson Open quarterfinals in March due to a right knee bruise. The injury sidelined Davenport for more than two months.
Davenport returned and won the Eastbourne grasscourt title before reaching the semifinals at Wimbledon, the Bank of the West Classic and the Acura Classic.
Tauziat, 33, recorded a 6-4, 6-2 win over Belgian teenager Kim Clijsters on Friday to reach the semifinals at this event for the first time in 12 career appearances.
Tauziat captured her eighth career WTA title in June at the Birmingham grasscourt event. In her last two tournaments -- Wimbledon and the Acura Classic -- the French veteran lost to eventual champion Venus Williams in the quarterfinals. | 