Lindsay Hopeful to Play US Open, but unsure.

This article is from espn.com...

Davenport Injury Hands Henin-Hardenne the Title.

NEW HAVEN, Conn. -- Lindsay Davenport began Saturday seeking to defend her Pilot Pen title. She ended it hoping she'll be able to play in the U.S. Open.

Davenport retired from the Pilot Pen championship with an injured right shoulder, allowing Justine Henin-Hardenne to take the title in the final hard-court tuneup before the year's last Grand Slam tournament, which starts Monday.

"Rest is going to help no matter what. Of course, with the U.S. Open less than 48 hours from beginning, this is not where I want to be," Davenport said. "I certainly can't play if it's like it was today."

Both Davenport and Henin-Hardenne entered New Haven after long layoffs because of injuries and it was the 24-year-old Belgian that picked up the momentum heading into the U.S Open. She did not lose a set in New Haven in reaching her eighth final in 12 events this season.

Davenport got the match experience she was looking for -- she played five in five days -- but has to contend with pain in her serving shoulder just before the Open. She's hopeful she'll be able to play.

Henin-Hardenne needed only 22 minutes to win the first set 6-0. Between sets Davenport called for a trainer and took a medical timeout. When she returned, Davenport lost on her serve in the first game of the second set and was in obvious pain.

She met Henin-Hardenne at the net and shook hands, and the longtime favorite drew an ovation from the crowd.

"I could feel from the beginning of the match she wasn't hitting the ball as usual," Henin-Hardenne said. "I did what I had to do. It's not easy in this kind of situation, but I stayed focused on every points."

The second-seeded Henin-Hardenne kept her intensity throughout the week, posting straight-set wins over Anabel Medina Garrigues, Mara Santangelo and Svetlana Kuznetsova, the 2004 U.S. Open winner.

Davenport and Henin-Hardenne have a combined 79 singles titles and eight Grand Slam wins heading into next week's U.S. Open, an event they have both won.

Henin-Hardenne, the second-seeded player and wild-card entry, drew a first-round bye, but Davenport had to work her way to the title match from the first round. She won all four matches in straight sets, including against top-ranked Amelie Mauresmo.

"I'm happy I was able to perform here. I feel absolutely horrible for the tournament and all the fans," Davenport said.

She lasted a total of 26 minutes against Henin-Hardenne. Davenport won five points in the first game, then won only seven points over the next six games. Davenport said she knew after the first three games of the match that she likely wouldn't last.

"I thought I needed to saw my arm off," she said. "It was going to be a really tough day."

Henin-Hardenne leads the series between the two 6-5.

She has now won five singles title this season, which she called the best of her career. She took time off after Wimbledon to rest her right knee, hampered by chronic pain due to cartilage problems.

It's the first time since 2003 she's been in all four Grand Slam events.

"I just hope I can keep going this way," she said. "I've been very consistent."

And most importantly, she said, she's having fun.
"I enjoy my tennis," Henin-Hardenne said. "That's probably why things have gone so well these last few months."

The men's final Saturday night featured second-seeded Nikolay Davydenko and Agustin Calleri.

Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press

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I bolded the things that jumped out at me when I read this article. I am now completely unsure on whether or not Lindsay will be able to even play the USO. And even if she shows, is it gonna be another match like her first round at the French in 2000?
If the pain is like it was today, she will not play the US Open for the first time in her career.
She also, IMO, should have retired earlier in the match, three games in and she knew she wasn't going to be able to play well, she should have given in then, playing on it might have made it a lot worse, and therefore now jeoparadizing her participation at the Open.

This never ends with her, does it? This doesn't look good guys and girls... :sad:

As I've posted before - she needs to rest her arm.
I'd be worried about her future career plans if she missed the Open for the first time.
I think it'll be tough for her to compete on the highest level, but hopefully she'll get her arm fit enough to make it through the first round on Tuesday. She's got 72 hours for it.:bounce:
We shouldn't be so pesimistic. In 2003 she's had major problem with her foot and still was able to compete. The arm is more important for the game, but if it's not structural(strain or something more serious) and if her back is fine, I am looking forward to see her playing in NY after all. She sounded determined to rest her arm and to do everything in order to be able to compete in her first round, cos then she'd get a day off to rest after every match. :bounce:
She was really emotional though:tape:

As I've posted before - she needs to rest her arm.
I'd be worried about her future career plans if she missed the Open for the first time.
I think it'll be tough for her to compete on the highest level, but hopefully she'll get her arm fit enough to make it through the first round on Tuesday. She's got 72 hours for it.:bounce:
We shouldn't be so pesimistic. In 2003 she's had major problem with her foot and still was able to compete. The arm is more important for the game, but if it's not structural(strain or something more serious) and if her back is fine, I am looking forward to see her playing in NY after all. She sounded determined to rest her arm and to do everything in order to be able to compete in her first round, cos then she'd get a day off to rest after every match. :bounce:
She was really emotional though:tape:

She's playing on Monday.

Yeah, but she's playing a Monday day match, that's not a lot of time, it's still concerning. I don't think it's a strain, because yesturday after the semis she was asked about it and she said it was just sore, but she didn't hear anything "pop in her shoulder". (trust me, popping is bad).

I just don't what to think.
I hope she can play and beat the crap out of her opening opponent. That would make me feel lots better.

But her getting that emotional makes me very, very worried. But like you said she got just as worked up in 03 and made the semis...so I guess we're gonna have to wait and see. I'll be a nervous wreck though.

It's just not fair that she's scheduled to play on Monday. The players who have just played a final should start their 1r on the second day:mad:

Those recent weeks were full of so many surprises...a lot has happened lately, so maybe that's the main reason Lindsay was so emotional.

It's just not fair that she's scheduled to play on Monday. The players who have just played a final should start their 1r on the second day:mad:

Those recent weeks were full of so many surprises...a lot has happened lately, so maybe that's the main reason Lindsay was so emotional.

I don't know - it's tough and annoying for us, but I don't think the entire tournament should be reshuffled just to accomodate one player's injury, and Lindsay said that too. It would've been nice to have her half start Tuesday, but it wasn't meant to be. Remember, those play the week before a slam by choice, and they all know that going in.

I don't know - it's tough and annoying for us, but I don't think the entire tournament should be reshuffled just to accomodate one player's injury, and Lindsay said that too. It would've been nice to have her half start Tuesday, but it wasn't meant to be. Remember, those play the week before a slam by choice, and they all know that going in.

Yup, Lindsay did say that she didn't really expect them to give her the late start anyways, so whatever to that, so I think it was already in her mind that she'd have to play Monday. I just hope sitting around this afternoon and tomorrow will help her shoulder.

It still sucks though.

If she gets rest for this next day and she is ok she can come out firing and make a run for that title!!! Lets keep our fingers crossed! I feel for you Davenport friends! :) :sad:

Bugger I thought that mightbe the case. Well Lindsay said a final decision was going to made on the morning of the match so Monday morning it is then.

This is kind of a touch one. Does she want to rush into a huge tourney injured and potentially lose poorly if she can't play 100% or take a break and come back even stronger. It should be interesting to see if she plays or not.

lets pray for rain???

lets pray for rain???

Haha nice.

I'm feeling very nervous about tomorrows match :sad: it is such a horrible way to be heading into a grand slam not knowing if you're going to make it through the first match because of injury.

and its been raining...

There're just minutes away from the start of Lindsay's match:woohoo:

They've talked to her and she said she's playing, while the shoulder is doing surprisingly okay;)
:wavey:

This is the moment of truth for Lindsay it would be awful if she went out of her last US Open with an injury

lol 'last us open'. she said wimby 04 was her last...

i wont believe anything she says til shes not there!

This is the moment of truth for Lindsay it would be awful if she went out of her last US Open with an injury
I doubt that this will be her last US Open, but yes, it would have been sad if she missed another slam this year.