Second-seeded Lindsay Davenport fought off a late comeback by unseeded Russian teenager Elena Dementieva to reach the US Open women's singles final yesterday.

Up a set and 5-2 with four match points on her service, the 24-year-old American tightened up and dropped the next four games to let Dementieva take a 6-5 lead before rallying to pull out a 6-2 7-6 (7-5) victory in an hour and 21 minutes.

Unforced errors and nerves crept into the young Russians game early on as Davenport broke in the first and third game of the match to race to a 4-0 lead. The heavy-hitting American broke a final time in the eighth game to secure the set and then went up 5-2, 40-0 with three match points on hand.

Two unforced forehand errors and a overhead smash winner allowed Dementieva to get even. She saved a fourth match point on a forehand wide by Davenport. The gutsy Russian grabbed the momentum and won four consecutive games to go 6-5, then 5-4 in the tie-breaker before succumbing to her nerves. She netted two easy returns in the tie-breaker on Davenports second serves and surrendered on a desperate Davenport lob that caught the line. In the second semi-final, third-seeded Venus Williams upset Martina Hingis in a tough three-set battle. Down 5-3 in the decisive set and two points away from defeat, the 20-year-old American rallied by winning the last four games to subdue Hingis 4-6 6-3 7-5 in one hour and 53 minutes.

After exchanging early service breaks in the second set, both players hit their peaks at 3-3 with an incredible display of tennis. Hingis fought off four break points but surrendered on the fifth one when her overhead smash sailed wide. The reigning Wimbledon champion broke a final time in the ninth game to gain the set. In the final set Hingis went 5-3 up but Venus scrambled back, ripping off powerful winners to win the last four games of the match and secured the victory on her second match point when Hingis netted a forehand approach.

Meanwhile, Australian Lleyton Hewitt and Max Mirnyi of Belarus won the men's doubles title, defeating American Rich Leach and Ellis Ferreira of South Africa in three sets. Hewitt and Mirnyi beat the veteran American-South African pair 6-4 5-7 7-6 (7-5) to become the first unseeded duo in the history of the Open to win the doubles crown.

Women's Singles Semi-finals: (2) L Davenport (US) bt E Dementieva (Rus) 6-2 7-6 (7-5), (3) V Williams (USA) bt (1) M Hingis (Swi) 4-6 6-3 7-5.

Men's doubles final: L Hewitt (Aus) & M Mirnyi (Blr) bt (4) E Ferreira (Rsa) & R Leach (USA) 6-4 5-7 7-6 (7-5).