Today the final quarterfinal slots will be decided. The quarterfinalists in the bottom half of the draw have
been decided with Lisa Raymond being the lone seed missing from the final eight. Martina Hingis and
Serena Williams continue to remain favorites to meet in the semifinals as they face Nicole Pratt and Daja
Bedanova respectively.
Jennifer Capriati (#1) vs. Alexandra Stevenson (Second Round)
Head to Head: Series tied 1-1 (Last Meeting: Stevenson, 2002 Sydney, R16, 7-6 (5), 3-6, 6-4)
When the draw for the 2002 State Farm was announced, most eyes focused in on this second round match-
up. Capriati's only loss this year came at the hands of Stevenson in Sydney. Stevenson, who appeared be
on her way to "flash in the pan" after her run to the Wimbledon semifinals in 1999, has recently shown
signs that her relatively young career is kicking back into gear. Reaching her first final last week in
Memphis, Stevenson is now at a career high ranking of #34 and perhaps being taken more seriously as that
spot has been earned not just on the basis of one good tournament result.
Interestingly enough, this marquee match was not scheduled in the prime-time weekday night match slot
but at 2pm on a Thursday afternoon. Capriati, in the past, had expressed some disdain for playing night
matches here in Scottsdale. While shorts and t-shirts are the fashion in the stands during the day, they are
often replaced by coats and blankets as temperatures quickly drop once the sun goes down. So, in all
likelihood, Capriati pulled some rank with the scheduling department.
The only prior meeting between these two players
was exactly two years to the day here in Scottsdale - a first round match easily won by Capriati (6-3,
6-0) and mainly decided by a slew of Stevenson unforced errors.
Another good-sized daytime crowd cheered the two Americans as they entered the court. The first
interesting moment of the match occurred during the warm-ups. As part of the Stevenson's player
introduction, they announced "In Sydney, she reached the quarterfinals of Sydney where she handed
Jennifer Capriati her only loss of the season." The crowd laughed and even Capriati across the court gave
the public announcement a big smile. I thought perhaps this was just a holdover from a previous script, but
a reliable source told me that the Capriati win was not mentioned prior to Stevenson's first round match.
The players held serve to start the match but it seemed that Capriati, who has not played a match since
capturing her third Slam title, was a bit rusty. Her on-again/off-again serve was off in her second service
game. She double faulted twice and sent a backhand into the net to give Stevenson the early break and a 2-
1 lead. Stevenson started the match strong, regularly serving over 100 mph, keeping her unforced errors
down and generally taking it to this week's #2 ranked player. But alas, Stevenson could not keep it up. In a
disastrous eighth game, Stevenson double-faulted twice and committed two unforced forehand errors to
give Capriati the break back at love. But Capriati's game was still not problem-free, her service toss
strayed but thankfully for her Stevenson's forehands strayed further. Serving to stay in the set, Stevenson
seemed a bit rattled by an out call on the first point, played a loose forehand, and then double-faulted.
Stevenson fought back, but Capriati converted on her third break chance to take the set 6-4 in 31 minutes.
The second set was eerily similar to the first. Stevenson appeared refocused after dropping her last two
service games and played well. She won a slew of points on Capriati's error-prone backhand side.
Stevenson broke Capriati in the fifth game of the set, but Stevenson once gain fell apart on her serve in the
eighth game of set. Capriati broke Stevenson again to close out the set and the match, 6-4, 6-4.
So as often happens in tennis, the anticipation of the match was greater than the match itself. Stevenson
called her effort "pathetic," but I have to say she has shown a vast improvement in her game and fitness
level since last year's tournament. As with most of the top players, Capriati certainly played "good
enough" to win today. She likewise looked more fit than I have seen her in the past (or perhaps her tennis
outfit was just more figure flattering this time around) and certainly had an increased aura of confidence
since capturing her third Grand Slam title and ascending to the top of the rankings.
Capriati next meets Barbara Schett the quarterfinals. Schett won a tough two hour plus match against the
fiery Tina Pisnik 4-6, 6-3, 7-5.