Davenport has not competed on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour since the US Open and may not play again professionally.

According to Linda Pearce at The Age, Davenport’s participation in the Australian Open is considered doubtful.

“Lindsay Davenport is not expected to contest January’s Australian Open,” Pearce wrote in an article published on Thursday.

“Still troubled by a knee injury, the 2000 champion at Melbourne Park is considered unlikely to play at tour-level again, having made a comeback in 2007 following the birth of her first child, Jagger.”

This knee injury prompted Davenport to withdraw from several tournaments in 2008, including a second round walkover at Wimbledon.

Davenport has won four Sony Ericsson WTA Tour titles since returning to the sport in 2007. She was awarded Comeback Player of the Year by the Tour in March.

The Grand Slam of Asia-Pacific will be held January 21-February 1, 2009.

Tennis Australia unveiled on Wednesday landmark plans for the tennis season’s first Grand Slam of 2009.

“We have really accelerated our push to make this Grand Slam the best possible experience for all of the players and indeed the fans,” said tournament director Craig Tiley in a statement.

“The new player restaurant, player services area and adjoining gymnasium have all been designed with the needs and wants of these great athletes in mind. We want to continue to create an environment where they can perform at their best and enjoy their time in Melbourne.”

New for 2009:

• A new world class player restaurant and player services facility at Melbourne Park
• A night final for women
• Two extra night sessions on Hi Sense Arena
• A special encore performance of the incredible Wilander-Cash final of 1988
• A revamped Legends Event
• A new and improved Australian Open Series
• An extension of the event’s global reach with new broadcast deals in China and South Africa
• The signing of the world-renowned clothing brand Lacoste
• A superb new AO2009 merchandise range
• An exciting array of new ticket options, including exclusive Hisense Arena packages

For more information about the 2009 Australian Open, please visit www.australianopen.com.

605,735 - People attended the 2008 Australian Open.

20,500 - Official player towels sold at the tournament and online.

2,687 - Total games played during the women’s singles event.

176 - Winners hit by champion Maria Sharapova en-route to the title.

37 - Nations represented in the women’s main draw.

968 - Winners hit by women in the second round.

1,423 - Unforced errors struck by women in the second round.

3,067 - Total racquets strung by the tournament’s stringers.

123 MPH - Fastest serves hit by women in the singles event - a distinction shared by Venus and Serena Williams.

2 - Serbian players in the women’s main draw. Ana Ivanovic reached the final and Jelena Jankovic lost in the semifinals.

10,500 - Mini facials provided by Garnier World.

26 - Double faults hit by world No. 1 Justine Henin, the most of any male or female player in the tournament.

40 - Aces fired by Serena Williams in just five matches.

176 - Challenges issued by the women’s draw.

53 - Correct challenges made by the women’s draw.

4.63 - Average challenges per set in the women’s draw.

22 - Challenges requested by finalist Ana Ivanovic during the tournament.

5 - Calls successfully overturned by Ana Ivanovic.

With her Prince O3 White in hand, Sharapova soundly knocked off the No.1, No. 3, and No. 4 seeds on her way to capturing her first-ever Australian Open title.

From the moment she took to the court for her first round match carrying her new gold racquet bag over her shoulder, Sharapova was completely focused on the task at hand.

The fifth seed, who dedicated much of the off season to her fitness, showed no signs of an ailing shoulder that plagued her for much of 2007. Rather, over the course of two weeks, Sharapova made clear that she was the one to beat – wowing crowds with a display of power, shot-making and the controlled intensity she is known for - ultimately defeating Ana Ivanovic 7-5, 6-3 in the finals.

“It has been such an amazing two weeks and an awesome start to 2008,” said Sharapova after the win.

“Everything just felt right – the way it should. It is nice to be able to head out on court knowing I am in good shape physically, have the best equipment and completely focused. It allows me to play my game and do what I need to do to win a championship as tough as this. I will never forget this experience and hope to keep it going throughout the year.”

Sharapova, who won her first Grand Slam title at Wimbledon when she was seventeen, was one of the first players on the tour to pick up a racquet with Prince’s ground-breaking O3 technology.

She made the switch to the O3 White in 2006, before going on to capture the US Open title that same year.

Since its introduction, O3 has converted more than 100 ATP and WTA touring pros, including the world’s #5 men’s singles player (Nikolay Davydenko), #1 men’s doubles team (Bob and Mike Bryan), four of the world’s top ten women’s singles players (Jankovic, Sharapova, Hantuchova, Bartoli), five of the top six women’s doubles players (Huber, Raymond, Srebotnik, Stosur and Sugiyama), and a host of young up and comers (John Isner, Sam Querrey, Shahar Peer).

In fact, at this year’s Australian Open, for the first time ever, three of the four women in the singles semifinals (including Sharapova) were playing racquets with O3 technology. Serbian Jelena Jankovic played her first major with the new O3 Speedport Pro White using it to knock off last year’s champion Serena Williams in straight sets before running into Sharapova in the semis.

On the other side of the draw, breakout star Daniela Hantuchova, made her first Grand Slam semi-final appearance carrying the Ozone Seven, a racquet she made the switch to last summer. Since making her switch to O3, Hantuchova has steadily climbed in the rankings and when the new rankings come out on Monday Hantuchova is expected to move to #8 – a career high for the 24 year-old Slovakian.

“Maria capped what was a remarkable tournament for Prince players and O3 technology and we are extremely proud of and excited for her and for all of our players who competed,” said Linda Glassel, Vice President of Marketing at Prince Sports, Inc.

“Maria has been a part of the Prince team since she was quite young and she repeatedly amazes, not only through what she accomplishes on the court, but also for what she brings to the game off of the court as well and no one is more deserving of this title than her.”

For more information regarding Maria Sharapova, the Australian Open and O3 racquet technology, log onto www.princetennis.com or www.mariasharapova.com.

Sharapova, the fifth seed in the tournament, downed third seed Ana Ivanovic in straight sets 7-5, 6-3.

The last time a woman seeded fifth won the Australian Open was in 1979 when No. 5 seed Barbara Jordan defeated No. 4 seed Sharon Walsh 6-3, 6-3.

After dominating the top half of the draw over the past fortnight, Sharapova won the trophy without dropping a set in seven matches.

Her road to the final saw three bagel set victories, including one over world No. 1 Justine Henin in the quarterfinals. Sharapova defeated Henin 6-4, 6-0, snapping Henin’s thirty-two match win streak dating back to post-Wimbledon 2007.

Sharapova’s performance on Saturday was the exact opposite of her showing against Serena Williams in 2007. Sharapova was demolished by Williams in two quick sets, a stark contrast to her own two set domination of Ivanovic in today’s final.

Even years apparently hold a special charm for Sharapova who won her first major title in 2004 at Wimbledon, followed by her second Grand Slam two years ago at the US Open.

After her tumultuous season in 2007, Sharapova’s third Grand Slam title triumphantly returns her to the pinnacle of women’s tennis.

“If you had told me in the middle of last year that I would be standing here on this stage with the big one I would say, forget it,” said Sharapova.

Sharapova dedicated today’s win to her coach Michael Joyce’s mother Jane, who passed away last May.

“Last year was a very difficult year for me,” added the new Australian Open champion. “But I gained a whole new perspective on life and tennis became very small.”

Sharapova was awarded $1,370,000 (AUD) in prize money for winning the women’s singles trophy. Finalist Ana Ivanovic received $685,000 (AUD).

Although she lost today, the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour has projected Ivanovic to climb to a career-high of No. 2 on the computer rankings Monday. Sharapova will not progress higher than her current ranking of No. 5.

The semifinals were a rather sleepy affair as Ivanovic outlasted a nervous Hantuchova and Sharapova defeated a finally exhausted Jelena Jankovic.

Unfortunately, the championship match is not without controversy as the headlines have been buzzing about Sharapova’s father Yuri’s behavior and Ana Ivanovic’s squeaky sneakers.

I don’t think Sharapova need be concerned about Ivanovic’s noisy footwork; if she can still hear the noise over her own grunting that is her misfortune.

Yuri Sharapov’s misdeeds are a completely different matter. Joke or not, his throat-cutting motion was in poor taste, and if Sharapova wins the title on Saturday, we are destined to hear another priceless sound byte about how at the end of the day, a Grand Slam title is not about bananas (oops, I mean gestures), rather her superior performance.

I’m not sure if Sharapova watched any of Ivanovic’s semifinal against Hantuchova, but if she did, her hopes must have been boosted a notch or two. Ivanovic lost eight straight games before Daniela Hantuchova realized that the finish line was in sight, signaling it was a good time for her to choke. Hantuchova headed into the semis saying that she was over her nervous perfectionism, but at the end of the day, her nerves got the better of her again.

Speaking of nerves, Ivanovic did not exactly radiate steel last night either. That was the most painful match I’ve watched since Svetlana Kuznetsova and Anna Chakvetadze’s mediocre semifinal at the US Open last year. The nervous Nellie bit won’t go far against Sharapova, long regarded as one of the game’s steeliest competitors.

Ivanovic’s last major final saw her so nervous that her ball toss would not go up straight, but I like to think that beating Sharapova in Melbourne is a bit easier than trying to deny world No. 1 Justine Henin in Paris.

Sharapova’s level has slipped a little since her dismantling of Henin in the quarterfinals, something Ivanovic may be able to exploit. Although it does make a lot of noise, Ivanovic’s footwork has drastically improved, another area where she could outclass the Russian.

We all know that deep down inside Ivanovic she has the courage, heart, and skill to win her first major title. After all, she is not the new No. 2 player in the world for no reason.

A Grand Slam title will come for Ana Ivanovic, but I’m not convinced that it will be tomorrow.

Maria Sharapova has looked almost unbeatable for the past two weeks and will win her third Grand Slam title Saturday night in Melbourne.

Ana Ivanovic advanced to the championship match later in the day by outlasting Daniela Hantuchova 0-6, 6-3, 6-4.

Compared to the quarterfinal dramas on Monday, tonight’s first semifinal seemed tamed and subdued. Although Maria played well, her level of intensity was much lower than what we saw against Henin. As for Jankovic, her multiple injuries and hours spent on court have finally started to catch up with her.

Hopefully now that her Melbourne pursuit is over, Jankovic will remember her New Year’s resolution and play a smarter tennis schedule in the upcoming months. At the rate she is going, her body could force her into an early retirement, not unlike the recently retired Kim Clijsters.

Sharapova will play Ana Ivanovic in the final match on Saturday. Ivanovic needed three sets, but defeated a nervous Daniela Hantuchova after 130 minutes of play in the second semifinal on Thursday. Hantuchova started the match by winning eight straight games, only to falter and surrender the win to Ivanovic.

The 2008 Australian Open women’s final will be aired live on ESPN2 at 9:30 pm ET on Friday, January 25.

Jelena Jankovic, Ana Ivanovic, Maria Sharapova, and Daniela Hantuchova each have pinned their hopes on reaching the 2008 Australian Open championship match, but by the end of Thursday, two of them will be packing their bags to return home.

Last year’s finalist Maria Sharapova has the most Grand Slam experience of the semifinalists, but Jankovic, Ivanovic, and Hantuchova have also played spectacular tennis over the past ten days just to reach this pivotal moment.

(3) Jelena Jankovic vs. (5) Maria Sharapova
After her brilliant display of near perfection against Justine Henin, it’s hard to imagine Maria Sharapova walking away from Melbourne without the ladies’ title. Scoring a bagel set against the No. 1 player in the world is an amazing feat, doubly impressive when you consider just how well Henin was playing on Monday.

Still, Jankovic is a treacherous foe, and even considers herself tennis’ equivalent of a wounded animal. Any hunter will tell you that a wounded prey is the most dangerous, something Maria Sharapova would do well to remember, especially after Jankovic’s straight set dismissal of Serena Williams.
Pick to Win: Maria Sharapova in two sets

(4) Ana Ivanovic vs. (9) Daniela Hantuchova
It has been encouraging to see Daniela Hantuchova reach her first Grand Slam semifinal at such a late stage in her career. True, the Slovakian is only twenty-four years of age, but it sometimes seems as though she has been around the Tour forever. She has more experience than her fellow European Ana Ivanovic, although Ivanovic will still be riding an emotional wave after pounding Venus Williams in two sets on Wednesday.

Look for Hantuchova to have moments of brilliance and superior footwork, but Ana Ivanovic appears headed for her second Grand Slam final in less than a year.
Pick to Win: Ana Ivanovic in two sets

Agree or disagree with my picks? Leave your thoughts about the semifinals in the comments below!

Thursday’s order of play includes the two semifinal matches as Jelena Jankovic, Ivanovic, Maria Sharapova, and Hantuchova battle for berths in the championship match.

Singles Quarterfinal Results on January 23, 2008

(4) Ana Ivanovic (SRB) d. (8) Venus Williams (USA) 76(3) 64

(9) Daniela Hantuchova (SVK) d. (29) Agnieszka Radwanska (POL) 62 62

Doubles Semifinal Results on January 23, 2008

(12) Azarenka/Peer (BLR/ISR) d. (7) Yan/Zheng (CHN/CHN) 06 75 76(3)

Doubles Quarterfinal Results on January 23, 2008

(10) Medina Garrigues/Ruano Pascual (ESP/ESP) d. (4) Peschke/Stubbs (CZE/AUS) 64 61

Singles Schedule of Play for January 24, 2008

Rod Laver Arena 11.00 AM
1. Men’s Doubles - Semis
Jeff Coetzee (RSA) v. Arnaud Clement (FRA)[7]
Wesley Moodie (RSA) Michael Llodra (FRA)[7]

Not Before 1:30 PM
2. Women’s Singles - Semis
Maria Sharapova (RUS)[5] v. Jelena Jankovic (SRB)[3]
3. Women’s Singles - Semis
Ana Ivanovic (SRB)[4] v. Daniela Hantuchova (SVK)[9]

Please visit the Australian Open website to view the rest of today’s order of play.