Seles, Capriati Coast Into Final

MTV should be here for today’s Mazda Tennis Classic final instead of ESPN. They should be serving burgers and shakes at the concession stands instead of grilled chicken.

The kids continue to run rampant at the La Costa Resort and Spa.

Today’s championship match at noon will feature the two youngest finalists in a women’s tournament since the Open era began in 1968: Jennifer Capriati, who is 15 years, four months, and Monica Seles, 17 years, eight months.

Top-seeded Seles polished off No. 6 Nathalie Tauziat in 59 minutes Saturday night, 6-1, 6-2. Earlier, No. 4 Capriati whipped injured, second-seeded Conchita Martinez, 6-4, 6-0, in the most non-competitive match of the week.

As for the youth, the previous tournament featuring the youngest finalists was the 1980 Florida Federal Open, in which Andrea Jaeger, 15 years, five months, defeated Tracy Austin, 17 years, 11 months, by default.

An added twist to today’s final is this: If Seles loses, she loses her ranking as the No. 1 women’s player in the world. She would be replaced by Steffi Graf.

She hasn’t had to think of losing much this week, though. Seles and Capriati have won six sets in six attempts each this week. Each has forced ticket-holders to get to the court on time or else.

Today, the two players set their sights on each other.

Capriati on Seles: “I have to serve well and just be totally on my groundstrokes.”

Seles on Capriati: “I’m going to have to go out and play my game and go for it. I’m going to hit to her backhand, and she’ll miss sooner or later. That’s the key here.”

Seles has won both Women’s Tennis Assn.-sanctioned matches the two have played. She won a semifinal matchup in the 1990 French Open, 6-2, 6-2, and then a quarterfinal matchup in the 1991 Lipton Players Challenge in Key Biscayne, Fla., 2-6, 6-1, 6-4.

But two weeks ago in an unsanctioned tournament in Mahwah, N.J., Capriati defeated Seles, 6-3, 7-5. This recent meeting is what the two will remember the most today.

Capriati on Mahwah: “Even if it doesn’t count on the computer, it still counts for yourself and for your pride. If I (beat Seles) there, why can’t I do it again?”

Seles on Mahwah: “I learned from that match, but when you play an exhibition, it’s different than playing a tournament.”

Seles had an easy time Saturday against Tauziat, although you wouldn’t figure that from talking to Tauziat afterward.

“She didn’t win the match,” Tauziat said. “I lost the match.”

Said Seles: “The last time we played, it was around the same score. It’s always around there.”

As for Capriati, it probably takes her longer to do her hair than it did to play the second set--she wrapped it up in 15 minutes.

Capriati won nine consecutive games, broke Martinez’s last five service games and won 35 of the match’s last 43 points. Martinez was shut out in four of the final six games.

It was as if someone clicked a switch and turned the lights out on Martinez. By the second set, it looked like she didn’t even bother to try on a handful of points.

She said afterward that she had a sore leg, and officials announced she had a pulled muscle in her left leg. Then, she withdrew from a doubles match scheduled shortly after her match with Capriati.

Martinez, though, said she never considered pulling out in the middle of her match with Capriati.

“No, because I can walk,” she said. “If I couldn’t walk, OK.”

Martinez’s pain wasn’t noticeable--she wasn’t wincing or limping. Capriati didn’t know Martinez was hurt, either, until told afterward.

“If she’s injured, she should stop,” Capriati said. “People are already going to start making excuses.

“The second set, she wasn’t moving. It was like she wasn’t even trying.”

It was only the second victory over a top-10 player this year for Capriati. Her other one came when she defeated Martina Navratilova--then No. 4 in the world--at Wimbledon.

Now, she gets No. 1.

“I think I’m playing very well,” Capriati said. “I’m very happy with the way I’m playing.”

Tennis Notes

A total of 4,984 people attended the afternoon session and 4,531 the evening session. . . . Today’s final is sold out but will be televised, on a tape-delay basis, at 2 p.m. today.... The competition is fierce. The judges don’t let anything slide by. Tennis? Nope, we’re talking ballboys and ballgirls here. More than 100 youngsters tried out to be ballboys and ballgirls for this week’s Mazda Tennis Classic, and 30 were picked. Those 30 were combined with between 40 and 50 kids who were assigned the tasks in the past. The total of 70 or so worked the tournament until Wednesday, when the first cut came--down to 46. Then, another cut was made after Saturday’s semifinals--down to 28. Those 28 will work today’s singles and doubles finals. Mike Harris, 44, the director of the South Bay Junior Tennis Program, is in charge of the ballboys and ballgirls. What do the officials look for when making the cuts? “We’re looking for reaction time to the ball, and reaction time to the player--how long it takes them to get the ball from wherever it is on the court into a player’s hands,” Harris said. Speed, physical agility, coordination and attention span are other qualities that help, Harris said. And you thought your high school freshman basketball team cut was tough.