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Mauresmo outlasts Capriati

Amelie Mauresmo shows a newfound resolve, overcoming four rain delays at Wimbledon.

Compiled from Times wires
© St. Petersburg Times
published July 4, 2002

WIMBLEDON, England -- So there she was, her shoulder throbbing, the sky spitting, the umpire overruling and her opponent choosing this day of all days to be stoic. If a person could actually manufacture steam from one's ears, Jennifer Capriati might well have combusted right there Wednesday on Centre Court.

It was that kind of day. Of course, if she had started to smolder, she wouldn't have had to worry as rain would surely have doused her before too long.

Four rain delays tried Capriati's patience and everything else -- most notably Amelie Mauresmo -- rattled her nerves as the No. 9-seeded Frenchwoman advanced to the Wimbledon semifinals with a convincing 6-3, 6-2 victory.

Mauresmo meets Serena Williams, a 6-3, 6-2 winner over Slovakia's Daniela Hantuchova, in today's semifinals. In the other semifinal, two-time defending champion Venus Williams meets No. 6-seeded Justine Henin of Belgium.

Serena Williams' match was delayed five times on the wettest day of the fortnight. And like the other women's quarterfinal, a presumably lesser opponent at times got the best of her. But in the end Hantuchova's backhand would make but a dent in what at first glance appears to be another all-Williams Grand Slam final.

"It's time to get serious and just buckle down," said Serena, who had 10 aces.

If she wins today, Serena will move from No. 2 and replace Venus in the top spot in next week's WTA Tour computer rankings -- no matter what else happens in the tournament. Even if Serena loses today, she would be No. 1 if Venus fails to win the tournament.

Serena will need to be at least close to her best to get past a determined Mauresmo, who is showing signs once again of being a legitimate force in the game.

Beginning three years ago Mauresmo went on an impressive run against top-ranked players, reaching the 1999 Australian Open final and reaching No. 5 in the rankings. Then a humiliating first-round loss at the 2001 French Open sent her into a tailspin that she admitted left her mentally and physically fragile on court.

"I decided never again to put my head under water like that," Mauresmo said of her demise and gradual resurgence. "There's no pressure. Maybe that's what helped me go so far in the Australian and here. ... The French Open was very good experience because it made me grow up a little bit. I hope it's going to last."

It's the first time Mauresmo has advanced past the third round at Wimbledon. Against Capriati it was as much a matter of staying calm as it was blasting away at one of the best backhands and serves in the game while turning up the pressure of her all-court game.

For Capriati, who thrives on moving quickly through a match, the rain delays clearly unnerved her on a day in which she could not afford to make any mistakes.

"I don't think I really had a chance to play," she said. "The first set, there was just no rhythm at all because we had to go on and off however many times. When you're playing against someone (who's) playing so well, it just puts more pressure on you. So I think it forces the errors a little bit more -- double faults, a few unforced errors, easy misses. I just really never got into the match."

Capriati acknowledged not being in top physical shape.

"I'm definitely not the 16-year-old body anymore," she said. "That makes a difference."

Two double faults in particular that occurred during a worsening rainfall led to a Mauresmo break and 4-2 lead in the first set just before another delay. Capriati also was thrown by consecutive Mauresmo serves that were overruled by the umpire to make them aces, giving Mauresmo a 3-1 lead in the second set.

"The first time, I probably should have stopped (and asked the umpire to halt the match)," said Capriati, who was treated for a stiff shoulder and a sore neck during the second set. "That was a key time. I'm serving right into the way the rain is coming down on me. ... But the second time, at that point, I just realized things weren't going my way. There was no point in really arguing it."

At that point it was clear Capriati would fail to reach the semifinals for the first time in a Grand Slam tournament since the 2000 U.S. Open.

"It's disappointing, a little bit of bad luck," she said. "But I've really got to hand it to her. I mean, she played unbelievable."

After a fourth-round loss at this year's French Open, Mauresmo blamed her old nemesis, mental lapses, joking she needed "a brain graft." But thus far at Wimbledon, she is focused and determined.

"She's never been as consistent as (Wednesday)," Capriati said. "Usually if you can just stay in there with her, she can make a few unforced errors and kind of give you the opportunity. She's streaky. But there was none of that."

In the only completed men's match, a fourth-rounder scheduled for Monday and picking up in the fifth set Wednesday, Richard Krajicek defeated Mark Philippoussis 6-7 (2-7), 7-6 (7-4), 6-7 (1-7), 7-6 (7-5), 6-4.

Britain's Tim Henman won the first set of a quarterfinal against Brazil's Andre Sa 6-3 before it was postponed. The Lleyton Hewitt-Sjeng Schalken quarterfinal never started.

NAVRATILOVA FEELING STRONG: Martina Navratilova, who has played more matches than anyone at Wimbledon, doesn't think she's finished yet.

"Next year, I don't know," the 45-year-old Navratilova said after her third-round loss in mixed doubles. "Might as well flip a coin. Probably. Chances are, yeah."

Navratilova, teamed with Todd Woodbridge, lost 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 to Jonas Bjorkman and Anna Kournikova.

"I thought I played pretty well," Navratilova said. "We certainly didn't deserve to lose 6-2 in the third. If you do everything you possibly can to win, and you still lose, there's nothing to hang your head about."

Adding the two matches she and Natasha Zvereva played in the women's doubles before being knocked out, Navratilova has played 293 matches.

The total puts her ahead of nearest rival Billie Jean King with 265 matches. The men's record is held by France's Jean Borotra, who played in 223 matches starting in the 1920s.

"Physically, I feel better than I did about 12 years ago," she said. "Physically, certainly the body -- I feel like I could keep going like this for a long while."

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