May, 6th 2004
BERLIN - Ladies German Open
It was a war of wills
for two sets before Jennifer Capriati turned a tense battle into a big
blowout. Surviving two tight sets with Maria Sharapova, Capriati unleashed a
series of sharp- angled returns to break Sharapova's serve in the opening
game of the decisive set.
Pumping her fist to punctuate the break, Capriati walked to her court-side
seat, plopped down into her chair and blew out a deep breath in an exhale of
exhilaration.
Then she returned to the court and whipped winners from both wings to win
four consecutive games en route to a 5-7, 6-4, 6-1 third-round triumph at
the Ladies German Open in Berlin. It was the first meeting between the
powerful pair of baseliners.
"She played well, but I'm also to blame because I didn't play my best tennis
in those first two sets," said Capriati. "I fought very hard and my
fitness was obviously a factor."
Seeking to re-establish herself as a clay-court contender, the 2001 Roland
Garros champion said she's eager to compete and now needs more match play to
improve her conditioning.
"Last year, I was getting mentally tired; I wasn't having the right
balance," Capriati said. "In a way, I feel I have more potential now
because I feel like I missed some good playing time and I feel fresher and
challenged to get back there. It's a question of getting myself back into
shape."
Facing a fit player in Sharapova, Capriati's physical strength was a factor
in the final set as she appeared the fresher of the two in the final set.
The depth and weight of Capriati's groundstrokes — still among the best in
women's tennis when she's on her game — often pushed Sharapova behind the
baseline and resulted in off-balance errors.
"I felt I played a very decent match," Sharapova said. "I wasn't there
mentally for the third set, but she's been in such situations where a match
is close many times before and knows how to deal with it."
Bouncing on her toes inside the baseline ready
to pounce on any short second serve she saw, Capriati terrorized Sharapova's
service games in the final set. The 17-year-old Russian double faulted to
drop serve in the third game before a fired-up Capriati held serve at love
to stretch her lead to 4-0.
Turning her shoulders into her potent forehand, Capriati often opened the
court for and constantly sought to dismiss any short shots from Sharapova.
The weary Russian prevented a final-set shutout with a forehand winner down
the line to break for 1-5.
It was merely a temporary reprieve as Capriati continued to punish the
Sharapova serve and closed out the victory when Sharapova sent a backhand
long.
The sixth-seeded Capriati takes on another Russian, Anastasia Myskina, for a
spot in the semifinals. The fourth-seeded Myskina advanced to the
quarterfinals with a walkover win over Australian Open semifinalist Patty
Schnyder, who defaulted the third-round match with a left upper arm strain.
A back injury sidelined Capriati for the start of the season and while the
pain persists, Capriati says she's learned to deal with it and claims it
won't hamper her game.
"I wouldn't say that it's 100 percent, but then it never will be,"
Capriati said of her bothersome back. "But it will not inhibit my game. I
just have to take care."
Despite her slow start to the season, Capriati is convinced she can make a
dent in the draw at Roland Garros, where she's reached at least the fourth
round in four of the last five years. The French Open begins on May 24th.
The fact that Capriati is a combined 0-17 against the top contenders for the
Roland Garros crown — Williams sisters, defending champion Justine
Henin-Hardenne and Kim Clijsters — in their most recent meetings is due in
part to the fact that all four of those players consistently serve better
than Capriati when they play. As a result, her conditioning is crucial to
Capriati's chances of success as she must continue to wreak havoc with her
return game as she did today. If Capriati is fit in time for the French
Open, she could pose a threat to anyone.
"Obviously, at the Grand Slams you want to play your best," Capriati
said. "So I feel extra eager and hungry to play that one. Hopefully, I
can peak at the right time, which is there. I think my chance is as good as
any. I have always played well there so I have good memories there."
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