NEWS & amp; NOTES AUSTRALIAN OPEN

Davenport has new coach: When Lindsay Davenport was looking for a new coach late last year, she phoned friend and former player Dave DiLucia for a recommendation. A few days later, she called him back to see if he'd like the job. Top-ranked Davenport won her first-round match Monday at the Australian Open 6-2, 6-1 over Australian wild-card Casey Dellacqua. When Davenport parted company with former coach Adam Peterson after the season-ending WTA Championships in early November, she waited about four weeks before hiring DiLucia. He's a former No. 1 singles and doubles player at Notre Dame. "I took my time," Davenport said. "I definitely thought about things for a number of weeks and exactly what I wanted to accomplish. Ironically, I first called Dave to get his advice as a good friend of mine and see what he thought. I was curious who he would recommend. We kind of went over some names." Davenport's husband, Jon Leach, suggested that DiLucia might be the best choice. "You're crazy, you got to hire him, he's great," Leach told her.
Dokic is down: Jelena Dokic played her first Grand Slam match as an Australian in five years on Monday. It wasn't a happy homecoming. She lost 3-6, 7-6 (6), 6-1 to Virginie Razzano, with an overrule from the umpire going against her on one of her two match points. Dokic celebrated a forehand on match point at 6-5 in the second set, but it was called long. The 22-year-old raised her arms thinking she had won. She later said the call left her "down mentally." She wasn't competitive in the third set. After reaching a career-high No. 4 ranking in 2002, Dokic has slipped to No. 349. "One of the most disappointing losses probably in my career so far," Dokic said. "I was already really happy, and then half an hour later I was the most disappointed."
Nervous winner: Bulgarian teenager Tszvetana Pironkova said she was nervous in her Grand Slam debut, but it hardly showed Monday in her 2-6, 6-0, 9-7 win over Wimbledon champion Venus Williams. The 18-year-old Pironkova capitalized on 65 unforced errors by Williams. "I said to myself, 'It's OK ... this big court, you need to show some tennis to the audience," Pironkova said. "Just relax and play your game."' The Bulgarian, coached by her father Kiril, made the semifinals in her first two WTA Tour main draws in a breakthrough year in 2005. She lost to Williams in the semifinals at Istanbul.
Feel like dancing: Serena Williams opened her Australian Open title defense with a stutter on Monday. But it didn't stop the seven-time Grand Slam winner from being upbeat despite questions about her fitness. "I feel amazing right now. I just feel like dancing," Williams said after beating China's Li Na 6-3, 6-7 (1), 6-2. She got a workout from her 52nd-ranked opponent, who moved her sideline to sideline. "I'm not tired at all," Serena said. "I feel like putting my iPod in my ears and just start dancing."
Associated Press
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