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Notebook Capriati clan comes to French OpenPosted: Friday May 31, 2002 2:49 PMPARIS (AP) -- The Williams sisters aren't the only sibling act in tennis. The sport also runs in the Capriati family, and on Friday the brother-sister team took its mixed-doubles game to the French Open. Jennifer Capriati knows the clay courts of Roland Garros well. As a 14-year-old phenom in 1990, she became the youngest semifinalist in Grand Slam history, and last year she became the first American women's champion since Chris Evert in 1987. But this was her baby brother's first match here. "Steven's just nervous," said father Stefano, who coaches Jennifer and called out advice from the sidelines during his children's match against French pair Alexandra Fusai and Julien Varlet. A senior on the University of Arizona tennis team, the 22-year-old Steven is a classic power hitter with a fierce net game -- just like Jennifer. "Come on Arizona!" his dad cheered from the stands. But too many of Steven's shots went awry, and he reacted. "Stop throwing rackets!" Dad called from the stands. Jennifer was by his side between points, whispering strategy. On the winning shots, they pumped fists, slapped hands and beamed smiles over to their dad in the stands. But their result was the same as it was at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open: out in the first round. The Capriatis lost 6-3, 6-1. I.D. PleaseSecurity's tight at the French Open.Just ask Venus Williams. "The other day I forgot my pass," the second-seeded tennis star said. "I had to show my passport so the guy would believe it was me." Williams, who has not advanced past the quarterfinals in five previous tries at Roland Garros, hopes to gain more recognition this year. The two-time champion of both Wimbledon and the U.S. Open has breezed through her early matches, beating No. 31 Rita Grande 6-1, 6-4 in the third round Friday. The 21-year-old player won her first two matches in quick straight sets, leaving ample time for her other pastime: shopping. There too, she saw tight security. "The other day I went to the Roland Garros shops," she said. "I had two guards helping me so I could pick up a couple souvenirs. That was nice." Tournament security turned its attention Friday to an unattended black briefcase spotted in the stands of an ongoing match between Carlos Moya and Guillermo Canas. Officials evacuated the 3,790-capacity stadium during the match, and a bomb squad was called in to blow up the bag before fans were allowed to re-enter after an hour's delay. "It turned out to be a briefcase forgotten by an absent-minded spectator," organizers said. World Cup distractionFans at the French Open were cheering, but it wasn't always for tennis.Crowds gathered at outdoor TV screens and tuned in on pocket radios to France's opening match against Senegal in the World Cup soccer tournament. And when Senegal scored its winning goal in the 30th minute -- just after the day's tennis matches started -- a collective gasp of despair rang out at Roland Garros. At one outdoor cafe, two dozen French fans watched the match dressed in the national team's blue jerseys. They booed an official who tried to change the channel back to tennis. "I'm torn between tennis and soccer," said Francis Plet, his eyes glued to the television. "I'm here, but my heart is with Les Bleus." France lost 1-0.
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