Venus Williams Is Ousted

Venus Williams overcame eight match points but couldn’t sustain a last-ditch rally and lost to fellow American Meghann Shaughnessy, 7-6 (2), 6-1, Monday night at the Nasdaq-100 Open at Key Biscayne, Fla.

Shaughnessy fell behind, 3-0, and then began to dominate, whipping shots that put Williams on the defensive. Shaughnessy won the final four points in the tiebreaker, then raced to a 5-0 lead in the second set.

Williams saved four match points in the sixth game, then four more in the next game. She made forehand errors on the final three points, slapping a shot six feet long on the ninth match point.

Williams’ top-seeded sister, Serena, advanced by beating Iroda Tulyaganova 6-0, 6-4.

In other matches, Chanda Rubin routed No. 8 Amelie Mauresmo, 6-0, 6-2, and Capriati defeated Sarah Taylor, 6-1, 6-0.

In men’s play, five-time champion Andre Agassi routed No. 32 Jarkko Nieminen, 6-2, 6-0 in 58 minutes. Agassi’s opponent in the fourth round today will be wild-card Mark Philippoussis, who edged Thomas Enqvist 6-7 (6), 7-6 (3), 6-3.

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The partnership between Lindsay Davenport and her coach Rick Leach lasted five tournaments, including one Grand Slam and didn’t even reach the clay-court season.

Davenport, who withdrew Monday from the Nasdaq-100 after losing the first set, 6-0, against French teenager Marion Bartoli in the fourth round because of an injured right hamstring, dismissed Leach before the tournament.

“He’s obviously a great, great guy,” said Davenport, who is engaged to Leach’s younger brother, Jon. “But in terms of coaching and communicating and stuff on the court, it just wasn’t clicking.”