Davenport stops Sharapova at Pacific Life
(Agencies)
Updated: 2005-03-19 10:03

Lindsay Davenport accomplished something no one else has against Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova — shut her out.

Davenport beat the 17-year-old Russian 6-0, 6-0 in Friday's semifinals of the Pacific Life Open. The match lasted just 49 minutes.

Lindsay Davenport hits a forehand return during her semifinals match against Maria Sharapova, from Russia, at the Pacific Life Open Thursday, March 17, 2005, in Indian Wells, Calif. Davenport won, 6-0, 6-0. [AP]

Earlier in the afternoon, Andre Agassi pulled out of his quarterfinal against Lleyton Hewitt because of a sore and swollen toe. It was the first time the 34-year-old Agassi could not take the court for a scheduled match in his career — 1,092 matches.

Kim Clijsters, the 2003 champion coming back from a wrist injury sustained at last year's tournament, faces Davenport in Saturday's final.

Former No. 1 Clijsters defeated Elena Dementieva 6-4, 6-2 in their semifinal.

Maria Sharapova of Russia reacts in the closing minutes of her match against Lindsay Davenport during the semifinals of the Pacific Life Open, Friday, March 18, 2005, in Indian Wells, Calif. Davenport won the match 6-0, 6-0. [AP]

As Sharapova failed to win a single game for the first time as a pro, she spent much of the match spraying groundstrokes outside the lines — at times by several feet — or hitting the ball into the net.

The loss was only her second in 19 matches this year.

The top-ranked Davenport, peppering the lines with her powerful groundstrokes, seemed almost disbelieving at the way the match was going.

"It was kind of a weird sensation, an odd position to be in, to win a match against such a good player and not have lost a game," Davenport said.

"I felt like I played well and handled the conditions really well. She didn't play well. Not really much to say."

By the end of the brief match, No. 3 Sharapova had made 25 unforced errors, an average of more than two a game. She won only 23 points, and managed just two winners each with her forehand and backhand.

Sharapova said the gusting wind was a factor, but she did not use that as an excuse.

"There are days when I go out on the court and I feel like I can't miss a ball," said Sharapova, who made her pro debut in 2001.

"Today was just one of those days when you're playing terrible and she's just hitting every single ball as hard as she can, on the line."

Asked if she recalled being blanked in a set before, Sharapova said, "I probably did when I was younger, when the girls were seven, eight years older than me. Those are the only people I played with, because that's how I got competition."

Davenport, who had beaten Nathalie Dechy in straight sets on Thursday afternoon, won the tournament in 1997 and 2000.

She played for the title three other times, losing to Martina Hingis in 1998, to Clijsters in 2003 and to Justine Henin-Hardenne last year.

Clijsters, who had surgery on her left wrist and missed most of last year, has fallen to No. 133 and is unseeded in the tournament she won two years earlier.

Agassi, who turns 35 next month, was uncertain what his injury was, but said the knuckle of his left big toe began hurting Thursday night.

"When I woke up (Friday morning), it was blown up like a balloon, twice the size. I was pretty shocked by what I saw. I can't bend it or move on it," he said.

He stood on the court and explained to the fans why he wasn't playing, saying, "I apologize and thank you for your support."

Several in the crowd yelled, "We love you Andre." He drew loud applause when he walked onto the court and again when he walked off.

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