Player of the Week: Jennifer Capriati
May 18, 2004
Player of the Week: Jennifer Capriati
ROME, Italy - Losing 62 60 in the semifinals of Berlin last week to Amelie
Mauresmo may just have been the best thing for Jennifer Capriati in a long time.
This week at the Telecom Italia Masters in Rome, Italy, Capriati stormed
through the draw all the way to the final before losing a thrilling three-set
match to Mauresmo and placing herself at the forefront of contenders for the
upcoming French Open in Paris.
"Last week she really played well, but I wasn't ready for her," she said.
"You know, you learn something from those kind of matches."
"I had something to prove to myself and to her," said Capriati, "for her to
beat me like that, I wasn't gonna let that happen again."
"It got me fired up. It made me mad, of course."
Capriati certainly bounced back with a vengeance early on in the week,
beginning by trouncing world No.37 Maria Vento-Kabchi of Venezuela 62 61 in
the second round after receiving a first round bye. She then routed No.12
seed Paola Suarez of Argentina 62 62 in the round of 16, then defeated tough
clay-courter Anna Smashnova-Pistolesi of Israel by the same score.
"I think I'm getting there," she said after her win over Vento-Kabchi earlier
on in the week. "I'm feeling more like myself out there, kind of the
aggressive style that I play, and really going for my shots and moving well."
"I think I can peak for the French Open."
Heading into the semifinals, Capriati had even more to prove. In taking on
top-seeded Serena Williams, Capriati had on her mind the eight consecutive
losses to the American, a run that dates back to the 2001 Canadian Open in
Toronto. When asked about which one of the losses was the most disappointing,
Capriati was unable to pick a certain one.
"They're all painful, that's the truth," she said.
Coming back from a knee-injury, Serena Williams was error-prone as Capriati
raced out to a 64 51 lead. Capriati's lead began to slip away but she managed
to close it out on her second match point and on an errant forehand from
Williams 64 in the second set.
"I felt like the match was in my hands and I wasn't going to let it get out of
my hands," said Capriati. "She has to let me win one time to keep things
interesting."
"She was playing pretty well today," said Williams after the match.
"I just thought, 'Keep fighting. Third set - maybe.'"
Perhaps the biggest achievement for Capriati of the week was how she fought
through an incredible high quality final and managed to come within one point
of victory against Mauresmo, who handed her one of the worst defeats of her
career just a week earlier.
In what turned out to be the longest one ever in the final in Rome, the two
players battled through an unpredictable and exciting final set after
splitting the first two. Capriati had a 4-2 lead in the third set, and after
losing her next serve, broke again to go up 5-3 with a stunning running
forehand passing shot, a shot that was thought by many to be the shot of the
week.
"Very impressive," said Mauresmo. "I went for it, she made the shot, the
perfect shot."
"I guess that running forehand was really working for me today," said Capriati.
The closely-contested match ended up at 6-all in the third set tiebreaker after
both players squandered match points, Capriati while receiving at 5-4 and
Mauresmo while up 6-5 in the tiebreak. Eventually, Mauresmo's recent head-to
-head success against the American and confidence from her solid play this
season may have been just enough to pull off the win.
"When you get to 6-all in the third-set tiebreaker, I think you don't really
know what's going to happen," said Mauresmo. "Could have gone either way."
"I'm very satisfied about the level of this match and hanging in there until
the end."
Although she did not come out the victor, Capriati was satisfied with her
efforts.
"You know, I didn't lose; she had to win the match," she said, "I don't
really feel that bad right now."
"I think it was just a really fantastic match. That's what I thrive for and
that's what I play for, these kind of matches."
"It's a good thing for the Grand Slam," said Capriati. "I mean, that's where
the real Jennifer wants to come out anyway."
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---禪心已作沾泥絮，莫向春風舞鷓鴣---
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