Davenport bows to talent of Dementieva

The Russian Elena Dementieva showed she belongs among the game's élite on Wednesday, beating the defending champion Lindsay Davenport in the first round of the season-ending Chase Championships.

The Russian Elena Dementieva showed she belongs among the game's élite on Wednesday, beating the defending champion Lindsay Davenport in the first round of the season-ending Chase Championships.

The Olympic silver medallist who turned 19 last month, saved a match point in the second set tie-break and went on to record a 3-6, 7-6, 6-4 upset.

"She's very good. She ripped some great winners on big points to win the second set and hung in there in the third," said Davenport, who became only the second defending champion to lose in the first round in the 28-year history of the event.

Monica Seles, the champion in 1990-92, beat Sandrine Testud, of France, 6-3, 6-4. The American, who has been sidelined since mid-October with a foot injury, said she only played because it was the last year at Madison Square Garden before the event moves next year to Munich, where Seles will not play after being stabbed during a match in Hamburg in 1993.

"I had so many thrills on this court. It's just so sad that this is going away," she said.