Grand Slam quarters: Must be Capriati-Serena
Posted: Tuesday September 7, 2004 12:00PM; Updated: Tuesday September 7, 2004 12:00PM
| |  Jennifer Capriati meets Serena Williams on Tuesday night in their third straight Grand Slam quarterfinal. Clive Brunskill/Getty Images |
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FLUSHING, New York (Ticker) -- Jennifer Capriati and Serena Williams know the drill by now. If it's a Grand Slam quarterfinal, they must be playing each other.
The Americans will do battle for a spot in the semifinals for the third major in a row when they meet in the U.S. Open at Arthur Ashe Stadium Tuesday night.
The rubber match promises to be a thriller as Capriati won their first quarterfinal meeting of 2004 in a three-setter at the French Open only to receive a 6-1, 6-1 drubbing from Williams at Wimbledon.
Williams leads the head-to-head matchup 10-6, but Capriati has won two of their three matches this year, adding victory in Rome to her French Open success. Tuesday's meeting will mark the seventh Grand Slam matchup between the two and their sixth quarterfinal clash.
There will be a similar sense of familiarity in the other quarterfinal when second seed Amelie Mauresmo of France and sixth seed Elena Dementieva meet in a repeat of their French Open quarterfinal showdown.
Dementieva got the better of Mauresmo at Roland Garros on her way to the final, where she fell to fellow Russian Anastasia Myskina.
With an American guaranteed to advance to the women's semifinals, hopes will be high that Andy Roddick can keep the flag flying during the evening session when the reigning champion takes on No. 18 Tommy Robredo.
Roddick will be playing under the lights for the third time at these championships, something he relishes.
"I love playing at night here," Roddick said. "The electricity is great."
The number two seed has generated some electricity of his own in the first three rounds, cranking 152 mph serves and dropping one service game during his march to the fourth round.
Fourth seed Lleyton Hewitt's progress has been only slightly less impressive and he looks set to come through his fourth-round match against unseeded Karol Beck of Slovakia.
If he does, Hewitt will face the winner of the Tommy Haas vs. Tomas Berdych match.
Roddick or Robredo, meanwhile, will play the winner of the match between 28th seed Joachim Johansson of Sweden and unseeded Michael Llodra of France.
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