THE LIPTON CHAMPIONSHIPS

March 15, 1994

Lindsay Davenport

Q. This wasn't the first time you have beaten her, but it's got to be one of your biggest wins?

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah, I think the first time I played her was obviously a little different. It was almost a year ago. It was my first big win and, you know, now today was a much different match, I think, from all our matches. I was obviously in control the whole match and dictated the points and really played pretty awesome to beat her. A lot of the other matches I have played with her, I have a lot of lapses and maybe let her back in, so today I really was able to close it out and stay on top of her.

Q. Someone that you have beaten before like that, even though you have had a very short career already on the tour, does that give you more confidence going into that?

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Actually, I was not as confident. She beat me twice after that last year, so I am going in there 1 and 2, and the one time I played her, she was just coming back and she was feeling a little sick. I guess she was sick that match. So I wasn't exactly confident in the sense that, oh, yeah, I can win this and I am going to win. But obviously I felt good and I knew her game well and thought it was the right game to beat her.

Q. How do you explain beating her, the No. 3 seed, so easily after having struggled in your last few matches?

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah, I played really well yesterday against Tauziat; didn't struggle in that that much, in that one. My first rounds weren't that great. I felt like I got it into yesterday. I was playing pretty well. I knew I had to keep it up to play well. In the first game I felt my balls were going in and they felt like I was hitting the ball clean, and never once in the match did I feel really pressured or anything. So that is obviously a big advantage.

Q. The few points that she did win, she usually gave you a drop shot. Were you afraid that she might pick that up more in the second set and --

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: No, I mean she hit a lot of drop volleys. That is what she does. I mean, she drop volleys a lot, she hit those pretty well today. I got to her two drop shots she hit from the baseline, but I think what gave me the most trouble when she was coming in. I had to pass her balls every volley, she was getting it was going to be a drop volley. That is a pretty tough shot to manage. My main thing was maybe to hit a good passing shot.

Q. The two times she beat you last year do you think she did something different than she did today?

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: At the U.S. Open I had a real pretty long match, you know, really pretty tight battle and she won that and then I played her in Philadelphia and she pretty much killed me there, so did --

Q. Was it a different mix of shots?

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Well, it was a fast court and she was-- the slice was staying much lower and she was coming in a lot, and so that was pretty tough, a lot tougher.

Q. Lindsay, you were coming into the net. How much has your doubles play been a factor in that?

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Oh, good, we played-- my partner Lisa and I, we won Indian Wells a couple of weeks ago that gave me a lot of confidence to come in and get ready for the volleys, and it is not so much getting the volley, but moving in on the groundstroke and hitting really good approaches, and the people, I think, feel a little pressure to pass me and when I do get the volley I have been hopefully hitting them well to win the point, but definitely, doubles has played a huge factor in that for sure.

Q. Given the magnitude of this tournament; like being the fifth one outside the majors, you beat Sabatini here, the chance to go on and meet Steffi. Do you kind of realize this may push you into the limelight a little some more; make a lot people recognize who you are?

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I hope so. I mean, every tournament I have played this year I have done pretty well. Keep plugging away playing my matches and this is a pretty huge tournament. Obviously, it's the fifth biggest. I hope all of women's tennis gets maybe a little bit more recognized. Schultz had a good upset today and maybe some more players will be pushed into the media and the public's knowledge a little more.

Q. How much of a breakthrough was Australia for you this year?

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Oh, that, I think it was-- the whole trip was great. I won my second singles title there and beat Mary Joe that helped me a lot today; stay calm; you have beat a top player before, and just hang in their, so definitely that win helped me a lot today.

Q. Lindsay, are you going to fit your high school prom to your schedule this spring?

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah, the prom is the second week in May and graduation is second or third week in June, somewhere, so, yeah, I am definitely doing both.

Q. Do you have a date already?

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Everyone asks me that. I mean, it is still six weeks away, but yeah, I think I know who I am going with.

Q. How tall is he?

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Tall.

Q. I am sorry.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: That is okay.

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