By Paul Levine
SportsTicker Contributing Writer
CARSON, California (Ticker) - Lindsay Davenport clearly enjoys playing in her home state. The third-seeded Davenport outslugged error-prone Serena Williams 6-1, 6-3, in just over an hour to capture her fourth crown Sunday at the $585,000 JP Morgan Chase Open.
Born in Palos Verdes, Davenport added this title to ones she took just a short way to her home in Laguna Beach in 1996, 1998 and 2001.
Under sunny skies amid a breeze at the Home Depot Center, Davenport was in command throughout the first set, which lasted just 21 minutes. She combined searing groundstrokes with a sizzling serve while committing just one unforced error against the tournament's top seed.
Williams offered more resistance in the next set before Davenport scored a decisive service break to go up, 5-3. She won when Williams smacked a backhand service return into the net.
Davenport collected $93,000 as she improved to just 3-9 all-time vs. Williams, ending a four-match losing streak dating to the 2000 U.S. Open. She won for the second time in as many weeks after capturing the Bank of the West Classic over Venus Williams, Serena's sister.
While Davenport has been on a summer hardcourt role, Williams is winless in six consecutive tournaments, matching her longest drought since 1998-99.