Capriati Defeats Serena Williams

Everything is coming together for Jennifer Capriati as the French Open nears. Serena Williams, however, still has some work to do before playing in that tournament in less than two weeks.

The fifth-seeded Capriati defeated the top-seeded Williams, 6-4, 6-4, Saturday in the semifinals of the Italian Open in Rome.

Her opponent in the final of the clay-court tournament will be second-seeded Amelie Mauresmo, who defeated eighth-seeded Vera Zvonareva, 6-2, 6-3.

Capriati had lost eight consecutive matches to Williams.

“I’ve lost to her so many times in a row. It’s a very personal victory for me,” Capriati said.

Williams is still trying to get everything sorted out with her left knee. She underwent surgery in August and was sidelined until March.

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Roger Federer showed why he’s No. 1, overwhelming Lleyton Hewitt, 6-0, 6-4, in one hour to reach the final of the Hamburg Masters in Germany. His opponent will be defending champion Guillermo Coria.

The second-seeded Coria defeated Ivan Ljubicic, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4. It was his 31st consecutive victory on clay, dating to the 2003 French Open semifinals.

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Martina Navratilova will compete in the doubles event at the Wien Energie Grand Prix starting Monday in Vienna in preparation for this summer’s Olympics.

The 47-year-old Navratilova agreed to play with Lisa Raymond to prepare for the upcoming French Open and the Olympics in Athens, both of which are played on clay courts.

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The second-seeded USC men’s team defeated Montana State, 4-0, in the first round of the NCAA Division I tournament at USC’s Marks Tennis Stadium. The Trojans (20-3) will play No. 32 California today at noon in the second round. The Golden Bears beat San Diego, 4-3.

The fourth-seeded UCLA team also advanced to the second round of the tournament, beating Oral Roberts, 4-0, at the L.A. Tennis Center. The Bruins (19-5) will play Pepperdine (19-8) today at 1 p.m. The Waves advanced with a 4-0 victory over Fresno State.

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BYU Hawaii defeated Lynn, Fla., 5-1, in Altamonte Springs, Fla., to win the NCAA Division II women’s title. The victory was BYU Hawaii’s 101st in a row and gives the Seasiders (35-0) their third consecutive NCAA title and fifth in six years.

Miscellany

Missouri basketball Coach Quin Snyder is accused by the NCAA of recruiting violations and providing meals and gifts of clothing for his own players, documents obtained by Associated Press show.

Snyder is named in 17 allegations, dating from 1999 to last year, in the NCAA’s formal notice of alleged rule violations.

Baltimore Raven linebacker Ray Lewis, who turned 29 Saturday, was among 2,000 graduates at the University of Maryland University College in College Park.