Davenport holds off Venus Williams to win Stanford thriller

STANFORD, Calif. -- Lindsay Davenport held off Venus Williams 7-6 (4), 5-7, 7-6 (4) Sunday to win her third Bank of the West Classic title.

Davenport snapped a six-match losing streak to Williams in the longtime rivals' 23rd meeting - and quite possibly the best. After countless thrilling points in a tense, well-played match stretching nearly three hours, Davenport thrust her arms into the air in relief when Williams' final backhand went wide.

Davenport, the second seed, has won three of her finals meetings with Williams at the Stanford tournament, including previous victories in 1998 and 1999. It was Davenport's 41st WTA singles title and her third this year, after Tokyo's Pan Pacific and Amelia Island.

Williams, the top seed, fell just a few key points short of her third title of the season, making crucial unforced errors on a handful of shots. Williams still has a 12-11 lead in her career over Davenport - but if Davenport retires after the season, the match was an appropriate finale.

How close was it? Williams won 142 total points to Davenport's 141 in a match that lasted 2 hours, 55 minutes.

Davenport claimed the $97,000 winner's share of the $585,000 purse - but more importantly, she played her best tennis against one of the game's premiere players, bolstering her confidence for what might be her final months on tour.

Williams, a two-time champion of the event, consistently outserved Davenport, cracking 120 mph even in the third set under stifling heat at Stanford's Taube Family Tennis Stadium.

But Williams' problematic forehand deserted her at several key moments - particularly in the final points of both tiebreakers - leading to 73 unforced errors to Davenport's 35.

Davenport took a medical timeout early in the first set when she aggravated her sprained left wrist, but it didn't stop the right-hander from staying in constant motion against Williams' powerful game. Davenport saved four set points before forcing the tiebreak, where she won three straight points to take the set.

Williams broke Davenport late in the second set to go up 6-5 before serving out. But Davenport came back strong, posting an early third-set break before Williams evened it again.

In the final tiebreak, Williams hit consecutive forehands into the net to give Davenport three set points. After saving one, Williams missed on her final backhand, prompting the sun-baked crowd to provide the last of several standing ovations for both players.