September, 1st 2003
US Open
Good things come to those who wait, and no one knows that better today than
Jennifer Capriati. After two rain delays, several hours and an uneaten plate
of pasta that she had to abandon when the weather suddenly cleared, the No.
6 American beat Russian Elena Dementieva, No. 11, in straight sets, 6-2, 7-5.
In the first set, it seemed as though Capriati, 27, would prevail in record
time, breaking 21-year-old Dementieva's serve twice in the first four games.
Mother Nature gave Dementieva time to reflect, however, sending rain onto
the courts at 4-0.
When the players returned, Dementieva briefly turned the tide, holding in
the sixth game and breaking Capriati in the next with excellent backhand
winners and competent return of serve. Capriati, perhaps realizing that it
wasn't going to be the cakewalk it resembled in the beginning, stepped up
her game and broke Dementieva right back to win the first set.
The poignant moment of the second set came with Capriati serving at 4-2. She
started out serving hard and fast, but Dementieva dug in and Capriati's
groundstrokes got sloppy. What could have been a swift Capriati victory
instead got Dementieva back on serve.
The rest of the set was a back-and-forth battle with breaks in the ninth and
tenth games. Dementieva attacked Capriati's serve for several quick points
and Capriati finally managed to swing shots to the sideline and visit the
net -- where she was eight for eight -- more often.
After the changeover at 5-6 on Dementieva's serve, Capriati lept to the baseline
before time was called to start the game, obviously eager to beat the
spitting rain that had started up again. Dementieva double faulted and hit a
ball long, then came to the net at match point, where she couldn't handle
the heat Capriati hurled her way. Her return went flying into the skies, now
full of ominous mist.
Capriati had indeed beaten the clock, earning herself a day off before she'll
face the winner of Ai Sugiyama vs. Francesca Schiavone in the quarterfinals.
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