Capriati Makes It Two in a Row by Defeating 15th-Seeded Porwik

Jennifer Capriati upset 15th-seeded Claudia Porwik of West Germany on Wednesday for her second consecutive professional victory at the Virginia Slims of Florida tennis tournament.

Capriati, 13, followed her successful pro debut one day earlier by beating Porwik, ranked 34th in the world, 7-5, 0-6, 6-2.

Capriati faces Nathalie Tauziat, ranked 16th in the world, in today’s third round.

Capriati said her match with Porwik was tougher than she expected.

“But I think I play better when the match gets tough like that and the crowd gets into it,” said the Saddlebrook, Fla., native. “I had to fight back.”

Seven seeded players advanced, but No. 16 Sylvia Hanika was beaten, 6-1, 2-6, 6-2, by South African Amanda Coetzer.

Before Capriati’s match, fourth-seeded Helena Sukova of Czechoslovakia blasted Rene Simpson of Canada, 6-1, 6-3; another Czech, fifth-seeded Jana Novotna, beat Tami Whitlinger, 6-0, 6-3; No. 6 Hana Mandlikova of Australia defeated Nathalie Herreman of France, 6-3, 6-0, and eighth-seeded Tauziat of France eliminated Stacey Martin, 6-2, 6-1.

Italy’s Raffaella Reggi, seeded ninth, struggled before defeating Julie Halard of France, 6-2, 5-7, 6-2; No. 10 Laura Gildemeister of Peru came back to defeat Ann Grossman, 6-2, 3-6, 6-2; and 12th-seeded Judith Wiesner of Austria beat Bettina Fulco of Argentina, 7-5, 6-2.