NEW HAVEN (Connecticut), Aug 28: Top seed Lindsay Davenport completed the perfect preparation for next week’s U.S. Open by beating Amelie Mauresmo of France 6-4 6-4 in the final of the New Haven Open on Saturday.

The American, who will regain the world number one ranking from Russian Maria Sharapova on Monday, won the title for the first time, having lost in the final on four previous occasions.

Davenport broke in the first game of the match and, although second seed Mauresmo broke back for 3-3, the American broke again in the next game and held on to win the set.

A series of crunching baseline winners gave Davenport an early break in the second set and she went on to claim her third title of the year and 48th in total.

Blake in final

American James Blake overcame rain and Romanian Victor Hanescu to squeeze into the final.

In a match interrupted by several rain delays, the 25-year-old American outlasted the unseeded Romanian 7-6 (7/4), 6-7 (3/7), 6-1 in little over two hours.

Blake now awaits Spain’s Feliciano Lopez for the championship title.

The 27th-ranked Lopez, a Wimbledon quarter finalist this past June, farewelled David Ferrer, the No 3 seed, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 in a battle of the Spaniards, earlier on Saturday, to earn a trip to his first final of the year.

Results (semifinals): James Blake (USA) bt Victor Hanescu (ROM) 7-6 (7/4), 6-7 (3), 6-1; Feliciano Lopez (ESP0 bt David Ferrer (ESP) 4-6, 6-3, 6-2

Safarova downs Sania

FOREST HILLS (New York): Czech teen Lucie Safarova won her second WTA title in only nine tour events, defeating India’s third-seeded Sania Mirza 3-6, 7-5, 6-4 here on Saturday to win a 74,800-dollar hardcourt tournament.