Semi-Finally, Seles Takes On Capriati

In the youngest Grand Slam semifinal ever, 14-year-old Jennifer Capriati will play 16-year-old Monica Seles today. They’re a couple of kids who could be playing in the juniors.

But so far in the French Open, Capriati has been the youngest to reach the fourth round of a Grand Slam event, the youngest quarterfinalist and the youngest semifinalist. What’s next?

The natural progression would seem to be the final, but there’s one problem for Capriati: Seles.

The hottest player in tennis, Seles has won 30 consecutive matches and five consecutive tournaments.

Steffi Graf, 30-1 in 1990, seems to be a cinch to get to the final. The No. 1-ranked Graf, who has lost only one match since last year’s French Open final, will meet Jana Novotna in the other semifinal.

Ranked No. 15, Novotna upset Gabriela Sabatini and Manuela Maleeva to reach the semifinals. Graf has moved easily through the draw, winning five matches without losing a set, only once giving up four games.

Capriati is the fourth woman to reach the semifinals in her first Grand Slam event. Seles did it here last year. The other two were Chris Evert at the 1971 U.S. Open and Maureen Connolly at the 1951 U.S. Open.

Capriati and Seles have never played one another, although they were on track for two previous meetings.

At the Virginia Slims of Florida, Laura Gildemeister upset Seles in the quarterfinals and played Capriati in the semifinals. The next week at the Lipton International Players Championships, Nathalie Herreman beat Capriati in the third round and then played Seles in the quarterfinals.