Davenport on course to be top of the world again

Out have gone the world No1, the world No2, the French Open champion, the Wimbledon champion and both the Williams sisters.

Even so, there is plenty at stake in the women's semi-finals at Flushing Meadows today, with the No1 ranking hanging on the outcome.

Lindsay Davenport faces Svetlana Kuznetsova and Jennifer Capriati plays Elena Dementieva after defending champion Justine Henin-Hardenne, No2 Amelie Mauresmo, No3 Serena Williams, French Open champion Anastasia Myskina and Wimbledon winner Maria Sharapova all bowed out of the tournament.

This is the first time in the Open Era that none of the top four women's seeds have made it to the semi-finals of the US Open.

But the remaining matches offer considerable intrigue, especially for Davenport, seeking her second US Open. Davenport, the 1998 winner, has won 22 consecutive matches and her last four hardcourt tournaments and will claim the No1 ranking in women's tennis if she wins the title.

If she fails, the top spot will go to No2 Amelie Mauresmo, despite the fact that she lost in the quarter-finals to Dementieva and has never won a Grand Slam tournament.