Capriati Win Over Hingis Is No Fluke

Jennifer Capriati knew her Australian Open victory over Martina Hingis wasn’t a one-time thing. She proved it on Sunday.

“I never felt pressure that if I didn’t win here it was going to be a fluke thing,” Capriati said after defeating Hingis for a consecutive time this year, 6-0, 4-6, 6-4, in the Family Circle Cup final at Charleston, S.C.

After an easy 19-minute first set, Hingis rallied to extend the match. Capriati broke her four times in the final set for victory.

“We always said if Jennifer could get her game together she would be with me, the [Williams] sisters and Lindsay [Davenport],” Hingis said.

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Gustavo Kuerten won the Masters Series clay-court tournament at Monte Carlo, Monaco, defeating Hicham Arazi of Morocco, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4. After the match, Kuerten said he might boycott Wimbledon to protest the way players are seeded for the Grand Slam event. The tournament allocates seedings based on a player’s ability on grass courts. . . . Magdalena Maleeva defeated Anne Kremer of Luxembourg, 3-6, 6-2, 6-4, to win the Budapest Grand Prix.

Miscellany

NBC’s broadcast of the XFL championship “The Million Dollar Game” drew the best preliminary television ratings for the football league since its sixth regular-season telecast. The Xtreme’s 38-6 win over the San Francisco Demons was watched by 2.5% of homes in the top 49 U.S. media markets. . . . Cresencio Mercado, a 19-year-old boxer who collapsed after winning his first pro bout, died of a brain injury Saturday night at a hospital at Pueblo, Colo. . . . Hector Camacho Jr. improved to 32-0, stopping Larry Lacoursiere in the second round of their welterweight fight at the Santa Fe Springs Casino in Indio. Camacho’s hard right at 35 seconds of the round sent Lacoursiere down face-first. He was unconscious for 10 minutes. . . . Barbra Fontana and El Toro High graduate Elaine Youngs won the Volleyhut Clearwater Beach Invitational at Clearwater Beach, Fla., by defeating Holly McPeak and Laguna Beach High alumna Rachel Wacholder, 21-18, 21-10, 15-7. Dax Holdren and Todd Rogers won the men’s division by defeating Stein Metzger and Kevin Wong, 21-15, 21-16. . . . . . . Richard Johnson scored three goals as the U.S. defeated El Salvador, 4-0, in the championship match of the CONCACAF Under-17 World Championship qualifying tournament at St. Louis. . . . Kelly Smith scored one goal and drew a foul that led to Doris Fitschen’s penalty kick as the visiting Philadelphia Charge defeated the San Diego Spirit, 2-0, in the WUSA opener for both teams at San Diego.