Capriati Upsets Seles to Reach Semifinals

Whether it was a lack of Grand Slam success against Monica Seles or facing something equally unforgiving, the scale, Jennifer Capriati realized it may be better not to have too much information.

Shortly after she defeated Seles, 5-7, 6-4, 6-3, in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open today, Capriati was notified it was her first victory over Seles in a Grand Slam event in six matches.

“It’s my first one?” she said. “It’s great. Now we don’t have to talk about ’91 anymore.”

That would be the 1991 U.S. Open, a heartbreaking three-set loss to Seles in the semifinals, an albatross for Capriati. She hardly seemed haunted or hunted in a tenacious effort against the fourth-seeded Seles, who led 7-5, 4-2 before the 12th-seeded Capriati rallied. She had 42 winners to 24 for Seles.

“I’m basically tired of losing to her,” Capriati said.

Harold Solomon coached Capriati last year when she reached the semifinals here. He is working with Seles in Melbourne but was impressed by his former protege’s effort.

“It was as high a level as I’ve ever seen her play, better than last year,” Solomon said.

Said Capriati: “My adrenaline is pumping so hard right now, I feel I could run a marathon. It’s one of the best matches I’ve played. It kind of reminded me of the old days, the way we used to have our matches.”

Her fitness level has improved significantly since the U.S. Open, and she was hardly bothered by chasing down Seles’ shot for nearly two hours.

“I don’t know how much weight I was over, maybe 30 pounds, maybe 15,” said Capriati, 24. “I could just tell by the way I was moving on the court.”

Capriati is the first player into the semifinals. The other quarterfinal is later tonight featuring defending champion and second-seeded Lindsay Davenport and No. 8 Anna Kournikova of Russia. Two more quarterfinals are Wednesday: top-seeded Martina Hingis against sixth-seeded Serena Williams, and, finally, third-seeded Venus Williams against No. 10 Amanda Coetzer of South Africa.

Venus Williams has dropped two sets in four matches and needed a spectacular array of shots against No. 13 Amelie Mauresmo of France, winning 6-2, 3-6, 6-3. The best point of the tournament came at 30-30 in the final game. Mauresmo and Williams had a hard-hitting, 26-stroke rally from the baseline, which Mauresmo won with a laserlike cross-court backhand.

The first person in the Friends Box to applaud the shot was Oracene Williams, Venus’ mother and coach.

Then Williams answered the challenge in impressive fashion, smacking a forehand winner and serving two aces to close it out.

“Maybe she was a little bit [ticked] with the backhand I made,” Mauresmo said, smiling. “She was a little bit angry and hit those three big serves.”