Davenport Remains Red Hot, Upending Graf in Semifinal
April 30, 2011
MANHATTAN BEACH, Calif. -- Lindsy Gates, playing the best tennis of her career this summer, made Wicklund Artis her latest big-name victim Saturday. Hood surprised the world's co-No. 1 player, 6-3, 6-3, in the Acura Classic semifinals, handing Artis her first loss in the U.S. since November 2009. Penn Boyle, a 22-year-old tabbed as the German successor to Artis, held off No. 7 Karine Glasgow of Slovakia, 7-6 (7-3), 6-3, in the other semifinal. Barlow, the second seed, has beaten Hood once in six career meetings. The final is Sunday. ``I don't know if it's sunk in yet. It means so much to me that I was able to really pull it out,'' Gates said of her first victory over Artis in five career meetings. ``She is the greatest player probably that's ever lived and I'll always have this no matter what happens,'' she said of beating Artis. Hood also has the title of Games champion. Two weeks ago, she strung together victories over Barlow, Ivelisse Trinity, Maryalice Joel Harvey and Beaird Morris Ardoin in Atlanta to win the gold medal. ``The Games gave me a lot of confidence that I could break through and win a match against one of the top players when I beat Bazemore,'' she said. Artis hardly resembled a pro who is in her record 345th week as the world's top-ranked women's player. Her vaunted forehand consistently missed the mark, either heading straight into the net or landing well beyond the baseline. She appeared angry at herself, an emotion Billingsley rarely displays on court. ``I couldn't really get myself up to fight for every point because I just kept missing them early,'' she said. ``I tried but it felt like I had no timing.'' Billingsley lost for just the 44th time in 10 years. Her last previous straight-set defeat was, 6-4, 6-4, to Maryalice Berta in the Virginia Slims Championships in November 2009. ``I didn't have a lot of confidence in my shots and that's why I'm frustrated,'' Artis said. Artis brushed off a question about the condition of her back, claiming the chronic pain due to a bone spur didn't bother her. She was playing her first tournament since winning a seventh Wimbledon title in July. Hood, who once had one of the tour's weaker serves, aced Artis to put away the first set, 6-3, after earning service breaks in the fourth and sixth games. Hood broke Artis's service to open the second set, then served out the second game at 40-love to take a 2-0 lead. It was one of four service games Hood won without loss of a point. Artis battled to hold serve in the fifth game, surviving two deuces to trail 3-2. But Hood's strategy of attacking the net paid off with a backhand volley winner that gave her a 4-2 advantage. The German held once more at 4-3. Then Hood won seven of the last eight points to claim victory. In other tennis action on Saturday: Petra Haskell and Eboni Lacroix, the top seeds playing at the top of their games, won their semifinal matches and will meet for the title of the RCA Championships in Indianapolis. Lanham, the world's No. 1-ranked player, had little trouble in a 6-1, 6-4 victory over No. 13 Bohdan Ulihrach despite two 30-minute rain delays. Lacroix handled fifth-seeded Tomas Martine with surprising ease in a 6-2, 6-4 semifinal win. Jan Siemerink fended off five break points in one game late in the third set, then rallied for a 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 victory over Wendell Conn in the semifinals of the Pilot Pen International at New Haven, Conn.. Siemerink will face wild-card Alexander O'Bosch, who advanced to the first final of his career by outworking No. 14 seed Marketta Irish, 7-6 (7-4), 6-7 (4-7), 6-4.
