Davenport beats Govortsova for 55th career title

Former world number one Lindsay Davenport [Images] claimed her 55th career title by cruising to a 6-2, 6-1 victory over teenager Olga Govortsova of Belarus in the Memphis Championship on Saturday.

The 31-year-old fourth seed needed just 60 minutes to beat the fifth-seeded Govortsova in their first career meeting.

Davenport served eight aces in overpowering the 19-year-old, winning 89 per cent of her first-serve points. Govortsova double faulted five times and served just two aces.

The victory was Davenport's second this year and fourth since returning to play last September after the birth of her son.

She had not played in an American tournament since 2006 with her last U.S. title coming at New Haven in 2005.

In the men's draw, unseeded Belgian Steve Darcis and eighth seed Swede Robin Soederling advanced to Sunday's final with semi-final victories.

Darcis out-lasted veteran Swede Jonas Bjorkman 4-6, 6-1, 6-4, and Soederling served his way to a 7-6, 6-3 upset of fourth seed Radek Stepanek of the Czech Republic.

The 23-year-old Darcis will be seeking his second career title. The first came in Amersfoort, the Netherlands last July.

Bjorkman, 35, recorded the only service break of the opening set of his match with Darcis but failed to break the Belgian in the second and third.

"From the beginning I played great," Darcis told reporters. "Jonas's start was unbelievable, he played some amazing shots.

"After I broke him in the second set maybe he was a little tired. In the third I put pressure on him again with my serve."

Soederling blasted 12 aces and did not lose serve to defeat Stepanek for the third time in four career matches.

"The centre court suits my game and I played some really good matches here two years ago when I reached the final," Soederling told reporters.

The Swede hit nine of his 12 aces in the opening set, including three in the tie-break where he grabbed a 5-0 lead.

In the second set, Stepanek was broken in the fifth game, double-faulting twice, and lost serve in the ninth to give Soederling the chance on Sunday to win his third career title.

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