Capriati confirms her comeback by beating Rubin<\/p>\n
SYDNEY (AFP): American Jennifer Capriati gave her tennis
\nrehabilitation further authenticity with a fighting three-sets
\nvictory over compatriot Chanda Rubin at the Sydney International
\ntournament yesterday.<\/p>\n
Mary Pierce's tournament ended after losing 6-4, 6-4 to
\nIndonesia's Yayuk Basuki in a second round match and eighth-
\nseeded Amanda Coetzer of South Africa bombed out to American Mary
\nJoe Fernandez, 6-1, 3-6, 6-2.<\/p>\n
Capriati, out to wipe the slate clean after drug and
\nshoplifting charges which all but snuffed out her precocious
\ntennis career three years ago, rebuffed the higher-ranked Rubin,
\n6-3, 4-6, 6-3 in a 103-minute opening-round match.<\/p>\n
Capriati, 21 in March and ranked 36 in the world, was imbued
\nby her success over the highly-regarded Rubin and gave promise of
\nmaking a go of her tennis career after her seamy past.<\/p>\n
Beaming her trademark smile, Capriati announced "I'm back"
\nafter mastering the 17th-ranked Rubin, a semifinalist at last
\nyear's Australian Open, and the notorious unsettling winds on
\nWhite City's center court.<\/p>\n
"It's a great boost, it's like I'm back and that I still have
\nwhat it takes to beat a player like Chanda and it shows I've come
\na long way since I played her last time," Capriati said of her
\nlast meeting with Rubin in Indian Wells, California, last March.<\/p>\n
Assessing her strengths since she broke into the tennis world
\nas a 14-year-old in 1990, Capriati said: "I think overall
\neverything is stronger, I don't know if that is because I am
\nolder, more mature... it's not like little kids' tennis any
\nmore."<\/p>\n
Capriati, fatigued by tennis 'burn-out' and following regular
\nspats with his father-coach Stefano, dropped out of the Tour near
\nthe end of 1993.<\/p>\n
In December, 1993, she was arrested on a shoplifting charge in
\nFlorida and in May, 1994 she was charged with possession of
\nmarijuana and had two stints in drug rehabilitation clinics as
\npenance.<\/p>\n
There were signs that her comeback was for real last November
\nwhen she beat Monica Seles in straight sets to reach the final of
\na Chicago tournament.<\/p>\n
Capriati was yesterday typically strong on her forehand
\nhitting 10 winners to Rubin's eight, and she was equally powerful
\non the backhand, outscoring her opponent, 8-3.<\/p>\n
Her next round opponent will be Canadian Rene Simpson and her
\nchances of repeating her 1993 Sydney tournament triumph were
\nfurther improved when top seed Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, in her
\ntop half of the singles draw, was upset by American Amy Frazier,
\n6-3, 6-3.<\/p>\n
It was the Spaniard's first opening round loss as a top seed
\nin a tournament, but she said it was her first match since mid-
\nNovember and she had made many unforced errors.<\/p>\n
Sanchez Vicario was not the only top seed to crash out
\nTuesday. South African second seed Wayne Ferreira fell to
\nSpaniard Carlos Moya, 2-6, 6-0, 6-3 while former French Open
\nchampion Sergi Bruguera eliminated fellow Spaniard and fifth seed
\nFelix Mantilla, 7-6 (7-5), 6-3.<\/p>\n
Australian wild card Rachel McQuillan dumped big-serving Dutch
\nseventh seed Brenda Schultz-McCarthy, 6-4, 6-7 (0-7), 6-4, while
\nCroatian third seed Iva Majoli put paid to French qualifier Sarah
\nPitkowski, 6-2, 6-1.<\/p>\n
Frenchman Guy Forget withdrew from his first round match
\nagainst South African Grant Stafford. He was troubled by a
\nblistered hand.<\/p>\n
Compatriot Neville Godwin, who replaced Forget as a lucky
\nloser, went down to Stafford, 6-4, 6-1.<\/p>\n
New Zealand Open<\/p>\n
In Auckland, unknown American Cecil Mamiit emerged here
\nyesterday as a potential bright new star when he defeated New
\nZealand number one Brett Steven's 7-5 4-6 3-6 at the BellSouth
\nTennis Open.<\/p>\n
Steven was originally scheduled to play tournament No 2 seed
\nMagnus Gustaffson of Sweden but found out in less than two hours
\nbefore his game that he would instead be facing the unknown
\nMamiit.<\/p>\n
Gustaffson, ranked 16th in the world, withdrew Tuesday with a
\nrecurring shoulder injury. He was the second-seeded player to
\nwithdraw with injury from the tournament after American Malivai
\nWashington, seeded fourth, withdrew last week with a back
\nproblem.<\/p>",
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