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Men's Tennis
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Women's Tennis
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| Saturday, June 2 |
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| Capriati, Williams sail through third round ESPN.com news services | |||
PARIS -- Jennifer Capriati and Serena Williams advanced to
the fourth round of the French Open on Saturday, eliminating their
opponents in straight sets within minutes of each other.
Capriati, seeded fourth, was the first to finish, defeating
Croatian qualifier Mirjana Lucic 6-3, 6-1 on a wind-swept center
court.
No. 6 Williams took five minutes longer to beat Hungarian
qualifier Zsofia Gubacsi. She had seven aces on her way to a 6-1,
6-2 victory in 56 minutes, her most impressive win by far in the
tournament.
The two players are possible quarterfinal opponents.
Top seed Martina Hingis advanced with an
unimpressive 7-5, 6-1 victory against Australian Rachel McQuillan.
The Swiss player, seeking her first Grand Slam title since
the 1999 Australian Open, struggled in an error-strewn first set
featuring nine breaks of serve which she took control of only
after a brief break for rain.
The second set was a different matter as Hingis found her
range.
"I struggled but I can't play every match perfectly," said
the 20-year-old Hingis, who lost in the semifinals to eventual
winner Mary Pierce of France last year.
"They were difficult conditions so I'm happy to have this
one behind me."
Hingis, who has never won the French Open, will face Frenchwoman Sandrine Testud, who defeated Elena Bovina, 6-3, 7-6 (1), in the fourth round.
Capriati, 25, hasn't gotten that far at Roland Garros since
1993. Her best showing came in 1990 when she reached the semifinals
at age 14. She lost in the first round last year.
Since then, Capriati has won the Australian Open, her first
Grand Slam title, and risen to a career-high No. 4 ranking.
"I think my tennis has improved even since (the Australian
Open)," Capriati said after her third-round victory. "I feel stronger
here. I'm in better shape."
In the next round, Capriati will face her first seeded player of
the tournament, No. 16 Meghann Shaughnessy. She beat Slovakia's
Janette Husarova 7-5, 6-4.
Last year's runner-up Conchita Martinez made her earliest exit
from Roland Garros in 14 years, losing 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 to unseeded
Zimbabwean Cara Black.
Williams, 19, is playing her first tournament since March. A
knee injury prevented her from competing for two months and she
looked shaky in her opening two matches at the French.
The eighth-seeded Spaniard and former Wimbledon champion has
reached at least the fourth round every year since 1988 when she
started playing at the French. She lost to Mary Pierce in the final
last year.
Martinez, 29, had the worst losing streak of her career earlier
this year, with four consecutive defeats after the second round of
the Australian Open. Fellow Spaniard and three-time French Open
champion Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario was beaten in the second round
last week.
Black, ranked 37th in the world, next plays Italy's Francesca
Schiavone, who upset No. 10 Amanda Coetzer 7-5, 6-4 Saturday.
The other half of the women's draw, already depleted by the
first-round ousters of No. 2 Venus Williams and No. 5 Amelie
Mauresmo, was further reduced Friday when Jelena Dokic lost her
third-round match.
Dokic, seeded 15th, was beaten 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 by Petra Mandula, a
Hungarian qualifier ranked 131st in the world.
"I just don't think it was me out there. It was a player I
shouldn't have lost to," said Dokic, visibly stunned. "I just
couldn't get going."
The 18-year-old Yugoslav dropped only three games in her first
two rounds and was a strong favorite to at least reach the
quarterfinals.
Mandula looked certain to become her next victim after Dokic won
the opening set with customary efficiency and aggression.
"I felt like the match was already finished," Dokic said. "I
think that's where I lost. I should have just concentrated on my
match, not worried too far ahead."
She fell apart in the second set, producing more unforced errors
and missing a string of chip shots from her opponent. Dokic was
unable to stop the slide in the third, despite saving eight match
points.
According to Dokic, skill had nothing to do with Mandula's
victory.
"The way she plays, it usually suits me," she said. "She
doesn't do very much. It was just a matter of getting balls in.
"I do give her credit, but everything that she won was my
mistakes."
Dokic's departure threw the bottom half of the draw wide open to
two Belgian teen-agers, No. 12 Kim Clijsters and No. 14 Justine
Henin. Each claimed a third consecutive straight-set victory
Friday. Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories | |
ALSO SEE Kirkpatrick: She can't stop herself Shriver: Henin-Schett matchup should be a good one Agassi moves on to 4th round; Safin eliminated Dokic slumps out to Hungarian qualifier AUDIO/VIDEO   Jennifer Capriati is happy with her play, but understands her next match will be more difficult.wav: 219 k RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6 | |
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