|
|
 |
 |   |
|
EVENTS Fantasy Central Inside Game Video Plus Statitudes Your Turn Message Boards Email Newsletters Golf Guide Cities 
CNNSI.com GROUP
COMMERCE
|  |
Perfect ending Top seeds Hingis, Capriati will meet in Family Circle
Updated: Saturday April 21, 2001 4:03 PM
CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) -- Martina Hingis won her 14th straight match at the Family Circle Saturday, setting up a rematch of the Australian Open final against No. 2 Jennifer Capriati. Hingis won eight straight games during one stretch in defeating No. 3 Conchita Martinez 6-2, 6-2 in the semifinals. Earlier, Capriati returned to the championship for the first time in 11 years with a 6-0, 6-2 win over unseeded Marlene Weingartner. Capriati was told after the match she would move from fifth to No. 4 in the world -- her highest ranking ever. The Family Circle has been super for Hingis through the years. She first became the world's No. 1 player here in 1997, taking that title, and won again in 1999. She lost only one set this week in eliminating the tour's hottest player, Amelie Mauresmo, in the quarterfinals and two-time Family Circle champion Martinez. It was the 11th time Hingis beat Martinez in their past 12 meetings. "I always enjoy playing the better players," Hingis said, smiling. "Conchita beat me at Berlin [last year] and I wanted revenge." She also would like revenge against Capriati, who followed Hingis' back-to-back victories over Serena and Venus Williams in Australia with a 6-4, 6-3 win in the final. Capriati "was just too good there," Hingis said. "I want to give it another shot. I feel like I've got nothing to lose in the final." It was clear that Martinez wasn't going to get the better of Hingis this time. After trailing 2-1, Hingis won the next eight games to take control. Even when Martinez, frustrated after another long forehand, kicked the ball soccer-style to cheers from the crowd, Hingis kicked it right back at her. Hingis finished the match with a backhander past Martinez. Capriati also moved quickly into the final, defeating the 21-year-old German in 50 minutes. "I'll wait for this tournament to be over before I enjoy it," the second-seeded Capriati said of her new ranking. The unseeded Weingartner had been the tournament's surprise, reaching the semifinals after losing five of her previous eight matches before this week. But Capriati's powerful forehands and serves ended Weingartner's chances early. Capriati closed out the first set in 19 minutes. Weingartner had three chances to go up 2-0 in the second set, but Capriati held on through six deuces to tie the set. "Maybe that took her out of her rhythm," Capriati said. "Still, I had to be ready." It was over quickly after that. Capriati went up 5-2 on a 103 mph ace, then whipped a backhand winner past Weingartner on match point. Capriati, 25, had been a pro only a month in 1990 when she reached the Family Circle final. Capriati lost to Martina Navratilova and said she won't think much about her changing fortunes since then. "That was so long ago," she said. "Whoever I play, I know I'll be the oldest." Capriati won the 1992 Olympic gold at Barcelona. But in 1994 she was arrested on shoplifting and drug charges and wondered if tennis was her life's calling. She decided that it was the past few years, rising from 101 in the rankings at the end of 1998 to fourth behind Hingis, Venus Williams and Lindsay Davenport. Capriati thinks she's playing as well as she did in January when she won the Australian Open, her first Grand Slam title. "I don't think I made that many errors and didn't let my concentration go," she said. "I feel in that same form." The last time the top two seeds reached the final was 1993, when No. 1 Steffi Graf defeated No. 2 Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario in straight sets.
| ||||||||||||||||||||
