Davenport wins at Stanford

Lindsay Davenport claims her competitive fire is less intense after 14 years on tour.

Anyone watching her stirring three-set victory over Venus Williams at the Bank of the West Classic would find it difficult to believe her.

Davenport held off Williams 7-6 (4), 5-7, 7-6 (4) Sunday to win her third title at the event played annually in Stanford, Calif., snapping a six-match losing streak to Williams in the longtime rivals’ 23rd meeting — and quite possibly their best.

Davenport, the second seed, has won three of her four finals meetings with Williams at Stanford.

ATP

At Los Angeles, Tommy Haas defeated Nicolas Kiefer 7-6 (6), 6-4 to win the Mercedes-Benz Cup in the first all-German ATP Tour final in 10 years.

Haas joined Jimmy Connors as the only unseeded winners of the tournament since the Open era began in 1968. Connors won the 1973 title over Tom Okker in the only other final between unseeded players.

•At Stuttgart, Germany, Guillermo Canas of Argentina won the Mercedes Cup, beating Gaston Gaudio in five sets for his fourth career title.

Canas, who was not seeded, won the clayfinal 5-7, 6-2, 6-0, 1-6, 6-3.