Venus beats Capriati for 3rd Ericsson crown<\/p>\n
MIAMI, Florida (Reuters): Venus Williams saved eight match
\npoints to capture her first title of the year with a 4-6, 6-1, 7-
\n6 victory over Jennifer Capriati on Saturday at the Ericsson
\nOpen.<\/p>\n
"I guess there is a first for everything," said Williams, who
\nhad never saved that many match points before.<\/p>\n
"She missed a few shots... I was able to stay in there. I just
\nkept getting back in it some way or another."<\/p>\n
Williams, who has won 18 straight matches here to take the
\ntitle in 1998, 1999 and 2001, sat out last year's tournament
\nnursing tendinitis in both wrists.<\/p>\n
While the fans embraced Williams at the end of the match by
\napplauding her win, the capacity crowd had earlier made it clear
\nthat the Ericsson Open was Capriati country on Saturday
\nafternoon.<\/p>\n
The match took place in exhaustively humid conditions and
\nalthough it was a far from stellar tennis performance in the
\nclassic style of the game, it was impressive how both players
\nworked to stay in the match.<\/p>\n
"I just think the heat was a major factor today because it was
\nso hot that I think it took a lot out of both of us," said
\nWilliams, who withdrew from the Indian Wells semifinal against
\nher sister Serena two weeks ago with knee tendinitis.<\/p>\n
"If it had been a cooler day it probably would have been much
\neasier to go out there and run, run, run.<\/p>\n
"I think most of all it was the heat, but we both pushed each
\nother to the limit."<\/p>\n
It was not an easy day for Williams who also blew three match
\npoints from 6-1 in the tiebreak before finally tasting victory.<\/p>\n
Finally, on Williams's fourth match point at 6-4 in the
\ntiebreak a fatigued Capriati netted a forehand to surrender the
\ntwo hour, 24-minute ordeal.<\/p>\n
Capriati, enjoying a brilliant year so far in which she has
\nwon her first grand slam title at the Australian Open, could not
\nhide her disappointment afterwards.<\/p>\n
"Just on those match points, it didn't go my way," she said.<\/p>\n
"It was just really close... I don't know what happened, it
\nwas just so close and on those points I didn't have the luck."<\/p>\n
The final was punctuated by a total of 124 unforced errors --
\n71 for Williams and 53 for Capriati.<\/p>\n
A swirling wind found both women struggling on serve and
\ntogether they hit 27 double faults; 16 for Capriati and 11 for
\nWilliams.<\/p>\n
Both players struggled to hold serve and there were 18 service
\nbreaks from the 36 break points of the day.<\/p>\n
Title bid<\/p>\n
In the men's side, Andre Agassi will be playing for his third
\ntitle of the year in the final on Sunday after beating Patrick
\nRafter 6-0, 6-7, 6-2 in Saturday's semifinals.<\/p>\n
It was Agassi's ninth win in 13 matches against the eighth-
\nseeded Australian.<\/p>\n
Third-seeded Agassi won a five-set semifinal battle against
\nRafter en route to the Australian Open title in January -- a
\nmatch far more intriguing than their latest encounter.<\/p>\n
The American arrived at the Ericsson Open fresh from lifting
\nthe Indian Wells crown and will now try to become the first man
\nto win the tournament four times.<\/p>\n
Agassi's opponent in the final will be compatriot Jan-Michael
\nGambill, who won his second career title earlier this month at
\nDelray Beach.<\/p>\n
Gambill, who trails Agassi 5-2 in career meetings, defeated
\nAustralian Lleyton Hewitt 7-5, 6-4 in Friday's semifinal.<\/p>",
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