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Today's semifinals provide intrigue, and the possibility of a new No. 1 player.
By SHARON GINN
© St. Petersburg Times, published September 7, 2001
NEW YORK -- Will the Williams sisters grace both the cover of Time and network prime time in the span of one week? Will Jennifer Capriati snatch the No. 1 ranking? And will Martina Hingis ever win another Grand Slam?
At least some answers will come today.
Two days after Pete Sampras outlasted Andre Agassi in what is being hailed as one of the U.S. Open's greatest matches, tennis fans can revel in more intrigue during today's women's semifinals.
First, Hingis takes on Serena Williams, the 1999 Open champion and 10th seed who knocked out Lindsay Davenport in the quarterfinals. Then comeback kid Jennifer Capriati faces Venus Williams in a match most fans would rather see Saturday. The two have combined to win the past five Grand Slam titles.
"(This) is what we live for," said Capriati, who hasn't reached the Open semifinals since she was 15, in 1991. "Just to get in that moment and really have a challenge ... to just see if we can live up to it and play some good tennis. It's difficult. That's the fun part also."
At stake is more than a chance to play in CBS prime time. For two players, the No. 1 ranking is on the line.
If Capriati gets one round further than Hingis -- either by beating her in the final or winning today while Hingis loses -- she will take the top spot for the first time in her career.
Though Hingis hasn't won a Grand Slam title since the 1999 Australian Open, she has stayed No. 1 since May 22 of last year mostly by entering more tournaments than Capriati and certainly the Williams sisters. Hingis has played in 16 tournaments in 2001, Capriati 13, Venus Williams 12 and Serena 10.
Yet it is Venus Williams and Capriati who have shined on the biggest stages. In addition to the 2000 Open, Williams won at Wimbledon in 2000 and 2001. This year, Capriati won the Australian and French to complete a comeback that ranks as one of the more remarkable sports stories in recent memory.
The two have met twice this season, with Williams winning the matches at the Ericsson Open and at New Haven. Neither has dropped a set at the Open, though Williams is on a three-tournament winning streak. Capriati hasn't won since the French Open.
Hingis leads the series with Serena Williams 6-4 and has won the past three meetings, including both this year. Davenport said Serena can overpower Hingis as long as she avoids mistakes.
"She said it right," Serena Williams said. "I have to keep down the errors. And power, sometimes you can use your power, but sometimes you want to use more brain as opposed to brawn. You don't want to have all brawn and no brain. I'm going to go out there and try and use a little bit of both."