TENNIS ROUNDUP : Capriati Wins Australian Tuneup

Fourth-seeded Jennifer Capriati defeated No. 5 Anke Huber of Germany, 6-1, 6-4, today, giving the United States both singles titles in the New South Wales Open at Sydney, Australia.

On Saturday, Pete Sampras won his last tuneup for the Australian Open by defeating Thomas Muster, 7-6 (9-7), 6-1, in the men’s final.

The women’s final matched teen-agers who are among the hardest hitters on the tour. Capriati was the steadier of the two in the sweltering heat at the White City complex near downtown Sydney.

“It was definitely very hot, but coming from Florida, I was used to it,” Capriati said.

Huber, 18, looked nervous early, and Capriati, 16, was quick to capitalize. She broke Huber in the first game and kept up the pressure throughout the first set, allowing Huber to hold serve only once.

Huber, known for her go-for-broke style, began finding the lines in the second set. She broke Capriati in the fifth game and appeared on the verge of forcing a third set before the American won the last four games.

Goran Ivanisevic of Croatia, seeded fifth in the men’s singles, has withdrawn from the Australian Open because of a stress fracture in his right foot.

He was drawn to play Paul Haarhuis of the Netherlands in the first round of the tournament, which starts Monday. His place against Haarhuis will be taken by Muster, the highest-ranked unseeded player in the draw.