9-7 in the third!

It was a hell of a match, but Davenport pulled it out 9-7 in the third, spoiling what would have been a fairytale Australia Day for Alicia (shown at left).

It could have gone either way, but Lindsay pulled off some stellar shots at critical times and Alicia's serving percentage was just a wee bit down. No matter: Alicia proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that she belongs in the top echelon (justifying her new top-10 ranking), and Lindsay can now go on and hopefully win (at least) one more Slam.

Seeing as how Alicia can't take home the trophy, it better be Lindsay. Only two more matches to win: over Dechy, then either Williams or Sharapova. Win 'em both, and a second Aussie Open trophy goes home to California. Fingers crossed!