 |
| Capriati advances in Dubai |
February, 19th 2003
DUBAI - Duty Free Women's Open
DUBAI, UAE (Reuters) -- A rejuvenated Jennifer Capriati brushed aside Russian
Svetlana Kuznetsova to win her first match of the year and reach the quarter-finals of the Dubai
Open on Wednesday.
The American took just 61 minutes to win 6-2 6-1, but top seed Justine
Henin-Hardenne was stretched to the limit by German qualifier Anca Barna
before edging through 1-6 6-2 6-4.
Capriati, who in November underwent eye
surgery to remove sunspots, made a fruitless trip to Australia last month,
the defending Australian Open champion suffering a shock first round defeat.
She blamed a lack of preparation then, but she managed to take the break she
has missed out on at the end of last season and now the hunger is back.
"Maybe, it was a blessing in disquise that I lost early in Australia. I
went on vacation after that for a week, just to have time and relax and to
get my mind clear," said the third seed.
"Then I came back and had a lot of motivation to work out and try to get
back into the shape."
Capriati was relieved to get a win under her belt, especially in such a
comprehensive manner.
"It's really nice to get a win. It feel really good," she said. "I was
just happy to get through. It's a good confidence booster. No matter what
the score or whether I won or lost, I can feel my strokes are good out there."
|
|
.gif){kind=small}