May, 9th 2003
BERLIN - MasterCard German Open
BERLIN (Ticker) - Kim Clijsters's emphatic victory over Daniela Hantuchova in Friday's
quarterfinals of the German Open set up a rematch of a historic French Open final.
Clijsters will play fourth seed Jennifer Capriati of the United States in
their first meeting on clay since the Roland Garros final in 2001.
Two years ago, Capriati beat Clijsters, 1-6, 6-4, 12-10, in the longest-ever
third set in a French Open final. The American is 3-0 lifetime against Clijsters.
"It was great," Clijsters said of the championship match. "It's probably the
biggest memory in my career. Ever since then, Jennifer and I have been very
good friends. It's been great to see that happen on the tour.
It's going to be a tough match because Jennifer's been playing really well.
She's moving very well, too, and it's going to be a battle out there."
On Friday, Capriati dispatched Russian Elena Likhovtseva, 6-3, 6-3, in light
rain. She has reached five straight semifinals since her first-round loss at
the Australian Open in January.
"It was a little bit difficult to get up for the match because it's such
a change," Capriati said. "It's dreary for everyone. I had to adjust
to the conditions. Everything was a little bit slower and heavier, but I got
warmed up and started playing well."
Third seed Justin Henin-Hardenne of Belgium topped Russian Vera Zvonareva,
6-4, 7-5, and will take on Amelie Mauresmo in the semifinals. The
fifth-seeded Frenchwoman overcame Uzbekistan's Iroda Tulyaganova, 7-6 (7-5), 6-4.
Clijsters beat Hantuchova for the third time in as many meetings. The
19-year-old Belgian has yet to lose before the semifinals in seven
tournaments this year, capturing two titles and producing two runner-up efforts.
"When you play Daniela you have to try and get aggressive from the first
point because otherwise she can dictate the points, and if she gets into a
rhythm, it can be a real struggle," Clijsters said.
"I felt that on the clay, if
I could get her off-balance, then I had a good chance to win the match today.
That's what I did. I mixed it up a little bit with some angles and drop-shots."
The 26-year-old Capriati has
suffered from poor health this season. She started the year with
opening-round losses in Sydney and Melbourne while recovering from eye
surgery to remove sunspots. She reached the final at Miami but withdrew from
Charleston due to strep throat.
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