Staying on track

Capriati, Hingis keep rematch hopes alive in Scottsdale

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) -- Jennifer Capriati and Martina Hingis have some work to do before they can think of a rematch of their thrilling Australian Open final.

Top-seeded Capriati, second-seeded Hingis and third-seeded Serena Williams advanced Friday to the semifinals of the State Farm Classic.

Capriati will face unseeded Nathalie Dechy in one of Saturday's semifinals, while Hingis and Williams square off in the other -- but a potential Capriati-Hingis championship looms.

"I can't think about that now," said Capriati. "I have to play [Saturday]."

Capriati, playing for the first time since rallying for a 4-6, 7-6 (7), 6-2 win over Hingis at the Australian in mid-January, shook off a slow start and defeated sixth-seeded Barbara Schett 7-5, 6-3.

Hingis recovered from an awful second set to get by eighth-seeded Daja Bedanova, 6-4,0-6, 6-3.

Williams defeated Nicole Pratt, 6-2, 7-5.

Schett won the first five games of the first set before Capriati turned it around.

"I just got off to a slow start," said Capriati, whose match started an hour late because of long preceding matches. "Just kind of waiting around all day wasn't good. It took a while to warm up.

'I started getting into a better groove."

Capriati has had trouble with Schett in the past, having dropped two of five previous matches against the Austrian.

Dechy earned her semifinal with Capriati by beating seventh-seeded Francesca Schiavone, 7-5, 6-2 Friday after ousting fourth-seeded Meghann Shaughnessy on Thursday night.

Hingis didn't expect such a battle in her quarterfinal.

"She made me play," Hingis said. "I needed a match like this. I just had to get the second set over and start again."

Williams, 4-0 lifetime against Pratt, hasn't played in a tournament since spraining her ankle in Sydney on Jan. 6.

"I feel good," Williams said. "I'm ready to take the tape off, though I don't think I should."

 

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