INTERNATIONAL PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP : Herreman Makes Capriati Look 13 in 6-2, 6-4 Victory

Schoolgirl Jennifer Capriati finally found a test she couldn’t pass.

Capriati experienced her first upset as a professional, losing to qualifier Nathalie Herreman of France, 6-2, 6-4, in the fourth round of the International Players Championships Monday before rain wiped out most of the schedule.

“I made a lot of errors and she played well,” Capriati said. “I think it was a pretty good tournament for me. I beat (sixth-seeded Helena) Sukova and made the fourth round, and I think that’s pretty good.

“(Herreman’s) game is different. She’d hit that short slice and then she’d come with the topspin. I was getting mixed up with that, the high topspin and the slice. I’m going to work on that.”

Capriati’s record fell to 8-2 since she started her pro career this month. The 13-year-old played well in her only other loss, to third-ranked Gabriela Sabatini in the Virginia Slims of Florida final.

Herreman, combining topspin and sliced groundstrokes, was content to keep the ball in play until Capriati made a mistake. The strategy worked, as she committed 53 unforced errors to 33 for Herreman.

The left-handed Herreman, ranked No. 113, advanced to the quarterfinals of a tournament for the first time since 1987. Though unheralded, she has been playing well, losing only nine games in her previous three matches.

“I knew exactly how I was going to play her,” said Herreman, who scouted Capriati. “I used my sliced backhand to her backhand because she didn’t like it. Against this kind of player you don’t give her rhythm. I didn’t feel the pressure at all.”

In men’s third-round play, No. 3 seeded Stefan Edberg of Sweden swept past Amos Mansdorf of Israel, 6-2, 6-1. In suspended matches, top-seeded Ivan Lendl led Marcelo Filippini, 6-0, 4-2, and No. 2 Boris Becker led Jean Fleurian, 3-1.