LOS ANGELES -- Mary Pierce edged top-ranked Lindsay Davenport 7-6 (5), 7-6 (6) in a matchup of older big-serving power hitters in the semifinals of the WTA Championships on Saturday.
Pierce is undefeated in four matches at the season-ending tournament, including a three-set win over No. 2 Kim Clijsters.
The 30-year-old Frenchwoman advanced to Sunday's final against either defending champion Maria Sharapova or countrywoman Amelie Mauresmo. No French player has ever won the championships, although Pierce was runner-up in 1997 and Mauresmo finished second in 2003.
Playing injury-free, Pierce is on the verge of closing out her best season in five years _ she's risen to No. 5 in the world, was runner-up at the French and U.S. Opens, and won two titles.
Davenport, 29, started slowly in front of her hometown fans at Staples Center, falling behind 5-2 in the first set. She won three straight games, including her only break of Pierce in the match, to tie it a 5-all. Each player held to force the tiebreak.
Pierce led 4-0 before Davenport won three straight points. The American closed to 5-4 on a big forehand, but trailed 6-4 on a netted forehand. Davenport used her big serve to get to 6-5 before Pierce won the first tiebreaker on a net cord forehand.
There were no service breaks in the back-and-forth second set. Davenport used a 100-mph ace to go up 6-5, but her forehand error in the next game allowed Pierce to force the second tiebreaker.
Pierce was 5-5 in tiebreaks this year coming in. In 11 previous meetings, they had never played a tiebreaker.
Davenport's rare venture to the net for a winning forehand volley tied it 6-all, but then she netted a forehand to give Pierce her second match point. On a second serve, Pierce closed out the match when Davenport mis-hit an easy forehand well beyond the baseline.
The two players combined to serve seven love games, with Pierce connecting on 70 percent of her first serves and firing 10 aces to Davenport's 12.
Davenport hit nine more winners than Pierce, but had 24 unforced errors to Pierce's 10. Davenport is assured of ending the year at No. 1 for the fourth time in her career despite not winning a Grand Slam title, although she was runner-up at the Australian Open and Wimbledon.
Davenport finished the year with six titles and 60 match victories, although she lost her last two matches to Sharapova and Pierce. She earned $250,000, putting her over $21 million in career earnings.
