Hingis, Capriati Prepared for Rewarding Experience

Martina Hingis doesn’t miss much. She noticed Jennifer Capriati hitting groundstrokes, working out on the court every day in December at their training complex in Saddlebrook, Fla.

Capriati, 24, wasn’t the only one trying to reinvent herself. With no Grand Slam singles titles in almost two years, Hingis, 20, was so intent on taking her game to the next level that she summoned Monica Seles to Saddlebrook for a workout--on Christmas Day.

“The hard work has paid off for both of us,” Hingis said of herself and Capriati. “Just taking tennis as a serious business. Now we are both in the finals.”

Hingis always has had the knack of keeping potential enemies close at hand. She has played doubles with Jana Novotna, Anna Kournikova and Seles, and formed a brief alliance with Lindsay Davenport to counteract Venus and Serena Williams.

For the first time, Hingis beat the Williams sisters in the same event, and now the top-seeded player will meet the 12th-seeded Capriati in the Australian Open women’s final Saturday.

Hingis took advantage of the Williamses’ lack of preparation. Venus did not play a singles event after October, and her warmup for the Australian Open came down to one doubles match in Sydney. Serena, at least, entered the singles draw in Sydney, losing to Hingis in the quarterfinals.

“Serena played a good match yesterday,” Hingis said of their quarterfinal this week. “But Venus didn’t play that well. They’re always saying, ‘OK, we went to school.’ Either you have to choose, go to school, play tennis. You definitely can’t do both.”

Serena was so dominating against Hingis, leading 4-1 in the third set, that the television commentators were talking about Hingis in the past tense. She escaped and this will be her fifth consecutive Australian Open final. She is seeking her fourth title.

Capriati had several close calls. She beat Henrieta Nagyova of Slovakia, 4-6, 6-2, 7-5, in the first round and was trailing, 5-1, in the first set against a talented youngster, Marta Marrero of Spain, in the fourth round. Capriati became upset over a line call and went on to win 12 of the final 13 games.

One round later, she wiggled out of a tight jam against Seles, rallying from a 7-5, 4-2 deficit. And Davenport may have taken Capriati lightly as well. Capriati’s mother, Denise, heard Davenport saying in a TV interview that she was going to try to intimidate Capriati on her serve.

“Maybe now it will be different, [she] won’t take me so lightly anymore,” Capriati said. “I used that as an incentive there, extra motivation.”

Although Hingis has never lost to Capriati, winning all five previous matches, the Swiss champion was not showing her usual bravado, not willing to provide any ammunition. Capriati is poised to write the dream ending, trying to win a Grand Slam after surviving a hyped youth and tumultuous bout of teen angst.

“I always had so much respect for her,” Hingis said. “Playing her is like watching a mirror.”

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Head to Head

Martina Hingis, the top-seeded player in the Australian Open, has beaten Jennifer Capriati, her opponent in the finals, in their five previous matches:

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Year Site Surface Round Result 1997 Sydney Hardcourt Final 6-1, 5-7, 6-1 1998 Hamburg Clay Quarters 6-1, 6-3 1999 Filderstadt Hardcourt 16 6-4, 6-0 2000 es-Hertogenbosch Grass Semis 7-5, 6-2 2000 Zurich Hardcourt Semis 6-3, 6-2

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