Schiavone to face Davenport in Bali
Bruce Emond, The Jakarta Post, Nusa Dua, Bali
Top seed Lindsay Davenport was on cruise control in her Wismilak International semifinal on Saturday, with never-say-die Italian Francesca Schiavone beating the odds and reaching the final as well.
The American, getting better with every match at the US$225,000 hard court tennis tournament, knew she would have to put the pressure on China's Na Li from the outset of their match.
The women exchanged breaks in the opening two games before Li held, but Davenport quickly picked up the pace to keep the seventh seed pinned behind the baseline.
From 1-2, Davenport won eight consecutive games, including eliminating three game points on Li's serve at 2-0 to break.
Although Li immediately broke back, the American did the same in the next game and effectively ended the Chinese campaign.
She sealed a 6-2, 6-2 victory in 69 minutes.
"I was ready to go tonight. I thought I was playing well but she was hanging in there," the 29-year-old said of the early games.
"I know she likes to dictate play, so I tried to control things."
She will meet fourth-seeded Schiavone, who came out the winner after all had seemed lost against second seed Patty Schnyder.
The 26-year-old Schnyder dominated most of the match, breaking the Italian's serve three times in a 6-1 first set, and again in her opening service game in the second.
Crowd favorite Schiavone seemed unable to get a read on Schnyder's looping lefty groundstrokes, with mistimed shots sailing out and into the tramlines.
She battled to avoid going down two breaks in the second set after trailing 0-30 at 2-4, and then Schnyder failed to convert on a game point at 4-3 on her serve.
At deuce in the same game, the world number 11 mangled a low forehand volley, then served a double fault to hand the Italian the game.
Although Schnyder later said that she felt unwell from the beginning of the second set, she could still rally to two break points at 4-4.
With the fighting spirit that endeared her to fans here after two earlier tough three setters, Schiavone recouped to force deuce.
She won the game to go out front for the first time in the match, while Schnyder called for the trainer and took a six- minute medical timeout.
Although Schnyder saved two set points before Schiavone held to take the set 6-4, the Swiss player quickly walked over to the Italian and quit when the match was 78 minutes old.
"I was feeling dizzy and I couldn't coordinate what my legs and what my hands were doing ... I felt like a beginner out there," Schnyder said, adding that she had experienced similar symptoms when she lost in the heat to Natalie Dechy at the Australian Open in January.
"... I don't think I was eating enough because of the heat," she said.
Both Schiavone and Davenport said Bali was a great venue for a tournament, although the heat and humidity presented difficult playing conditions.
"It's nice to be in Bali, but you need to watch what you eat and drink," the Italian said.
Davenport, who beat Schiavone 6-4, 6-1, in their only career meeting on carpet in Moscow last year, knows what to watch out for in Sunday's final.
"Her trait is her fighting ability. (Schiavone) may be down but she will always fight to the end..."