Wimbledon comeback: Lindsay Davenport teams with Bob Bryan for mixed-doubles win

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Doubles win for Davenport in Wimbledon comeback

WIMBLEDON, England — Returning to Wimbledon gave Lindsay Davenport a slight case of stage fright.

The three-time Grand Slam champion overcame her butterflies and teamed with Bob Bryan to win in the first round of mixed doubles Friday, beating Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi and Alla Kudryavtseva 7-6 (3), 6-3.

The tournament is Davenport’s first since the 2008 U.S. Open, when she reached the third round in singles and doubles.

“I’m a little nervous and stressed out,” she said with a laugh. “I was getting sick to my stomach before we went out there, like, ‘What are we doing?’ But I miss having a purpose at home on some days, so it was fun getting up to practice for this.”

Davenport, 34, is the mother of two. She won the singles title at Wimbledon in 1999.

“It’s a comeback, but it’s not like a full-on comeback,” she said. “It’s doubles.”

“Double dipping,” Bryan said.

Davenport plans to play women’s doubles in two tournaments this summer in her native California, but has no tour events on her schedule beyond that. She said she definitely won’t play at the U.S. Open.

Bryan and Davenport are unseeded at Wimbledon and low-key about their chances.

“We have low expectations,” Bryan said. “No pressure.”

But he gave Davenport a rave review for her first-round performance.

“She played great,” he said. “You can’t take away the ball striking, and that is what has always impressed me about Lindsay — the way the ball comes off her racket, and the sound. It was a pleasure to be on the court with her.”

Bryan said he may play mixed doubles with Venus Williams at the 2012 Olympics in London.

MOTHERLY ADVICE: Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan says there’s one big difference in having a parent as a coach.

“I didn’t pay for her,” he said of his mother, Klaudiya Istomina.

Istomin lost Friday in the third round at Wimbledon but he was pleased with his tournament. Ranked 70th, he is the only Uzbek man to reach the third round of a Grand Slam event, a feat he has managed three times — at the All England Club and at the Australian Open this year, and at the U.S. Open in 2009.

Istomin credits his mother, a former player, with improving his tactical and technical skills. She also pushes him to his limits when he trains.

“Because I’m a little bit lazy, she always pressures me,” said Istomin, 23. “She keeps going but I say, ‘No, come on.’”

Istomin defeated 20th-seeded Stanislas Wawrinka and Rainer Schuettler at Wimbledon before losing Friday to No. 12 Tomas Berdych, 6-7 (1), 7-6 (5), 6-7 (8), 6-3, 6-4.

Uzbekistan’s leader, Islam Karimov, is a tennis enthusiast, and he has promoted the game in his tightly controlled nation. But the quality of players has fallen in recent times, Istomin said, and an ATP tournament held in Uzbekistan has shifted to Thailand. Now the country only sponsors lower-level tournaments such as Challengers.

Istomin said he hopes his achievements will inspire young Uzbeks to pursue tennis at a high level.

“I hope after my results, it’s getting bigger,” he said. “It was good before, because the president liked tennis.”

SISTERS WIN: Serena and Venus Williams remain unbeaten at Wimbledon this year, and that includes doubles.

The Americans won their second-round match Friday, beating Timea Bacsinszky and Tathiana Garbin 6-1, 7-6 (2).

Seeded No. 1, the Williams sisters are seeking their fifth consecutive Grand Slam doubles championship and 13th overall. Serena and Venus are seeded 1-2 in singles and still in contention for that title.

TAIWANESE TRIUMPH: Yen-hsun Lu is Taiwan’s first man to reach the fourth round at a Grand Slam tournament.

His reward? Playing 2003 U.S. Open champion and former No. 1 Andy Roddick.

The 82nd-ranked Lu was leading 6-4, 6-4, 2-1 Friday, when Florian Mayer of Germany retired because of an injury.

Lu reached the third round of the 2009 Australian Open.

Hsieh Su-wei became the first woman from Taiwan to reach the fourth round of a major championship with her run at the 2008 Australian Open.