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Serena battles back to beat Capriati Posted: Tuesday July 01, 2003 6:10 PMLONDON (Reuters) -- Top seed Serena Williams dug herself out of trouble against fellow American Jennifer Capriati on Tuesday, winning 2-6 6-2 6-3 to reach the Wimbledon semifinals for the third time in four years. Serena will now play French Open champion Justine Henin-Hardenne in a mouthwatering repeat of their controversial semifinal at Roland Garros when the American was booed and heckled by the crowd. Capriati was the last player to beat Serena at Wimbledon -- at the same stage in 2001 -- and a repeat looked on the cards when she romped through the first set in 27 minutes against a strangely wayward Serena. The defending champion suddenly clicked into gear though and after breaking serve with a bludgeoning backhand to lead 3-2 in the second set the tide began to turn. She powered through the next six games to lead 3-0 in the decider and, although eighth seed Capriati hung on gamely -- winning one incredible 31-stroke rally when serving to stay in the match -- Serena proved unstoppable. "I just had to come back. It was definitely tough," Serena said. "I haven't beaten her yet on the grass so I knew I was in for a match. "I enjoyed it. It's very exciting. I have no nerves. I've been in this position so many times, I have no nerves." Capriati said: "She played really well, I don't think there was much that I could do out there. "She had to play her best to beat me. This is the closest I've been to beating her for a long time." Booming delivery Capriati, bidding to halt a run of seven consecutive defeats at the hands of Serena, could look to the third game of the final set as a decisive moment in the match. Three times she held break point on her opponent's serve, but each time the world number one came up with a booming delivery. One ace, one unreturnable serve and a swiped forehand winner left the 27-year-old powerless to resist. It was not until the final stages of the match that both players began to play at their peak at the same time. With Serena serving for the match at 5-3 Capriati dug deep into her reserves of energy and threatened to mount a last-ditch revival. Two break points came and went, however, and Serena clinched victory in one hour 39 minutes as Capriati dragged a forehand into the net with her opponent stranded out of position. Serena: Paris row with Henin is forgottenLONDON (Reuters) -- Serena Williams said her French Open row with Justine Henin-Hardenne was a distant memory on Tuesday after setting up a rematch with the Belgian in the Wimbledon semifinals. Williams beat compatriot Jennifer Capriati 2-6 6-2 6-3 in the quarter-finals and will now meet Henin, who beat her in an acrimonious semifinal in Paris last month that ended with the American in tears and accusing Henin of "lying and fabricating." "What happened in Paris stayed in Paris," Williams said. "That was a long time ago for me. I don't even remember." "This is the semifinal of Wimbledon. I will go in with the mindset of trying to reach the finals, that's all I'm thinking about. I'm just going to play the game and enjoy myself and have fun." Williams said she had briefly spoken to Henin in the locker-room at the All England Club, but had not discussed Paris, when the American was booed by the crowd after Henin failed to ask the umpire to replay a point in the final set. "We are in the locker-room for a whole fortnight. What do you expect? I don't think there is any regret [on her part]. She won the French. She played very well. I didn't really talk about the French." More considerate Williams said she expected the Wimbledon crowd to be more considerate than in Paris, when she had trouble serving, such was the amount of heckling she received. "I always expect the worst, at least now I do," she said. "That way I never have to be surprised. I always try and think very pessimistic. That way I won't be disappointed. "But I love it here at Wimbledon. I've always had a great crew of fans here. Whoever's playing good tennis, they appreciate it, unless of course you're playing Tim Henman! "The English crowd is a bit older as well. It's obviously going to be different. They're more polite, in a way, than the French crowd." The American did hint, though, that she would not take any abuse if the crowd turned on her. "It's fine playing against a crowd that's going against you but it's just a little tough playing against people that are booing in between first and second serves," she said. "I know what to do in that situation now. As a player you don't have to stand for that." Copyright 2003 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. |
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