Jennifer Capriati (1) def. Anke Huber (14), 6-3 3-6 6-3
Semifinal
Previous head-to-head: Capriati leads 5-1

To put it overly simplistically, Jennifer Capriati's career has been a three-part saga. The first act was from 1990 to 1993, when Jennifer was a bubbly teen phenom, scampering successfully and merrily around the courts of the world. The second act was after the American's comeback from juvenile follies, when she presented herself as an out-of-shape underachiever from 1996 to 2000. The third act began this year, when a physically and mentally metamorphosed Capriati emerged. Suddenly with the powerful u pper body of a fullback and the speed of a sprinter, and the determination of a lion, Capriati became the dominant story of the sport by winning the year's first two majors in Melbourne and Paris. By reaching the semifinal here, Capriati had already achieved one of her goals this week, clinching the #2 seed at the upcoming U.S. Open.

Today the top seed and 1991 Canadian Open champion booked a berth in her first Canadian final since Act One of her career in 1993, and her first final of any kind since her French Open title in May, with a well-earned three-set win over 14th seed Anke Huber.

Capriati started strongly, holding serve and then worrying Huber's initial service game with strong returns. The German double faulted on break point, and trailed 0-2 early. Huber proceeded get back on serve thanks to some of the change-up moonballs she had used earlier this week to upset Amélie Mauresmo, and drew even at 3-3.

But in a long, 7-deuce game with Huber serving at 3-4, the set swung Capriati's way. With game point in her favour, Huber again tried a looping ball, but this one was way too short, and was struck for a winner by Jennifer. At deuce, Capriati angled an excellent forehand passing shot. Capriati finally ended the lengthy game on a forehand winner, to take the 5-3 lead. The American took advantage of her first set point when Huber's return of a kicking second serve landed in the net, and Capriati had draw n first blood, 6-3.

The bleeding continued for Huber as she again fell behind 0-2, and for the first time in the match she engaged in her trademark German-language self-recriminations. But Anke regrouped quickly, pulling even at 2-2 on a Capriati double fault, and started playing her best tennis of the match, striking the ball deep and in the corners with authority. Capriati was starting to make tired-looking mistakes. Huber took a 4-2 lead on a perfect drop shot, and went on to level the match with a 6-3 second set.

At this point it looked to us that Jennifer was fading. While she admitted that in the second set she was "a little tired," Capriati also added: "She was playing so well. And then I also wanted to just, you know, leave something in the tank for the third set. It looked like it was coming down to that." The crowd, which had been very pro-Capriati throughout the week, also appreciated the German's fine play, and by now they were fairly evenly split between the two players.

The third set began as the first two had, with Capriati taking an early 2-0 lead. And again, Anke stormed back to tie at 3-3. This is where the match definitively swung Capriati's way. Huber was serving, and fell behind 0?30 on two baseline blunders. The German got on the board with an excellent retrieval of a drop shot, and then drew to 30-30 on an errant Capriati forehand. A strong Capriati return forced a break point, and Huber promptly lost the game by pushing a forehand out. It was 5-3 now, and Capriati converted her second match point when Huber dumped a second-serve forehand return in the net. Make the final: 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, in 1 hour, 37 minutes.

With reason, Huber was left to rue that she was the one who blinked late in the third set. "The game 4-3, I let go very quickly, which was maybe not the best," Anke understated. Capriati was also grateful for the assistance from her opponent. "At the key points," noted the winner, "especially in the third set, she just made an error there and didn't play as well as in the second set. I think that was the difference."

Make no mistake though, it was a good showing by Capriati. As has been the case been all week, she had rough patches but was solid when she needed solidity most. She was most pleased with her clean groundstroking. "I don't know, I wish every day I could play like that and just hit out from the baseline?. Today I really felt the shots, I felt on." Anke also praised Capriati's game, when asked to compare the American's game this year to that of her teenage years. "She always played the fast game, she a lways had the shots. But I think it's more powerful now. Her serve got better. And I think at the moment it's more consistent. She plays great tennis."

Jennifer Capriati now looks forward to a final against Serena Williams, who won her match later this evening (see below).

As for Anke Huber, who last month announced her plans to retire next January, don't get out the rocking chair quite yet. She seems primed to create some more surprises at what will be her final U.S. Open. "I'm just going to try to enjoy it. It's the last Open and it's going to be special."

Serena Williams (4) ? Monica Seles (5), 7-5, 7-6 (7-5)
Semifinal
Previous head-to-head: Williams leads 3-0

This was a revenge match for Serena Williams, last year's Canadian Open runner-up. Eight days ago Serena held six match points in her Los Angeles quarterfinal against Monica, but failed on all of them and lost the match, 6-2, 3-6, 7-6 (7-2). During her odd, distracted press conference last night, Serena got serious only once, and that was when she was asked about the rematch with Seles today. "If I get a match point, it'll be over," she vowed. "That's the bottom line."

Well not quite, as it turned out. Williams had six match points again, but did the job on the sixth ? the first on her own serve ? tonight. Fitting, as Williams's impenetrable serve was the key to her win tonight. As well as the efficient Williams took care of her serve, Seles needed to take the few chances she did have. She failed to do so, however, particularly with costly double faults in the concluding tie-break. Still, Seles gave us plenty of indication of her legendary fighting spirit in a losin g cause.

Seles earned no break points against Williams's serve all night. In fact, she never even got to deuce. The nearest Williams got to even remotely being in trouble on her serve was 3-3 in the second set, when Monica got the score to 15-30. But Seles made a backhand error, it was 30-30, and, as Wynne Prakusya would say, "See you!" As Seles noted, "She was serving so well. I mean, I think that's one of the key points why she won today's match. And not just her first serves, but also her second ser ves." Serena was very pleased with her brilliant serving exhibition, which married power and placement: "I served well today. I've been working a long time to get my serve to this level." I was trying to get a read on her serve speed, but almost every time I looked at the service speed board a blank screen stared back at me. But I believe that her hardest delivery was close to 190 km/h.

Not that Monica was serving shabbily. In fact, she was only broken once, and at a horrible time for her, serving at 5-6 in the first set. There was one winner from Serena in that game, coming when Williams forced a weak one-handed forehand from Seles and nailed the overhead. But the other three points came from errors on Seles's first touch after the serve. Monica was broken at love, and it was suddenly 7-5 Serena.

The second set, prior to the tie-break, was highlighted by two extraordinary Seles comebacks from 0-40 down ? both times with a little help from Williams mistakes, but also with a lot of fine play and fighting spirit by Seles. When Seles capped her first comeback at 3-4, a finely angled slice forehand catching Williams flat-footed, the pro-Seles crowd went wild. The second 0-40 fightback was even more significant, since it was at 4-5 down and saved three match points. At 0-40, the bold Seles won two po ints on risky backhand winners. At 30-40, Serena stood with her back to Seles for a while, in an apparent attempt to "freeze" Monica. Once the point began Serena got into a dominant position, had a short put-away forehand on her racquet, and amazingly missed it! Seles was still alive, with three match points saved and deuce on the scoreboard. Williams, apparently rattled, sent a forehand way too long. Advantage Seles: Seles gets Williams on the run, and Serena's forehand is off target. The fans stood as one and saluted Seles's courageous display with a roaring ovation.

After another easy Williams hold, Seles went to serve at 5-6, again to stay in the match, and the crowd held its collective breath. When Serena quickly put Monica in trouble at 0-30, we thought, "Here we go again!" But Seles hit a rather lucky net cord winner that made it 15-30, and Seles went on to win the game with a few less dramatics than the earlier games. A tie-break could seal the match for Williams, and, we thought, her chances looked good given how well she was taking such good care of her ser vice points.

• SW serving: A solid Seles backhand forces a Williams error. 1-0 Seles.
• MS: Ace out wide. 2-0 Seles.
• MS: Williams sends a routine forehand long. 3-0 Seles.
• SW: Ace down the middle, and of course the speed gun malfunctions. 3-1 Seles.
• SW: Williams runs Seles left and right, then finds the open court. 3-2 Seles.
• MS: Double fault 3-3.
• MS: Double fault, again the second serve dumped in the net! 4-3 Williams.
• SW: Seles error off the forehand side. 5-3 Williams.
• SW: Williams hits a strong serve and short forehand winner. 6-3 Williams, match point #4.
• MS: 171 km/h ace. 6-4 Williams, match point #5
• MS: Williams backhand goes long. 6-5 Williams, match point #6.
• SW: Seles return lands wide. Game, set and match Williams, 7-5, 7-6 (7-5)

After the win and the handshake, Williams pumps her fist excitedly and waves smilingly to the crowd, which gives her a warm ovation. Seles is rousingly cheered as she leaves the court. The public address announcer thoughtfully says, "You're welcome back any time, Monica." Seles will be 29 when the tournament is next in Toronto in 2003. Will she return? Consider that by then, she will be three years older than the soon-to-retire Huber is now.

So Serena Williams will lock horns with Jennifer Capriati tomorrow in the final. It will be their first encounter since this year's Wimbedon quarterfinal. That was a three-set win for Capriati. In that match, Williams weakened in the late going and famously rushed off the court in the third set ? the queasy among you may avert your eyes here -- to vomit, she said, as a result of food poisoning. Today, Williams warns, "I'm in good health this time. So a few times I played her I wasn't in my best healt h. So it should be good, and good for me as a good U.S. Open warm-up for me, and I'm really excited going into this."

Capriati notes that Williams should be primed to put on tough opposition. "Serena, you know, she hasn't played that many matches except for this tournament, I think. So she'll be fresh and eager."

Tina Krizan / Katarina Srebotnik (9) def. Martina Navratilova / Arantxa Sánchez-Vicario (7), 6-3, 2-6, 6-4
Doubles Semifinal

Sunday's singles final is guaranteed to bring wide smiles to the face of tournament director Jane Wynne. A week ago, Wynne was trying to digest the late withdrawals of Martina Hingis and Lindsay Davenport. The only blemish on the day is that Martina Navratilova is not in the doubles final!

Fans have been flocking to Navratilova's matches this week, and the legendary champion has not disappointed. She and partner Sánchez-Vicario have been playing to the crowd as well as winning their matches all week. Particularly surprising was their quarterfinal win over top seeds and Wimbledon champions Lisa Raymond and Rennae Stubbs. Almost all the fans stayed after this evening's singles match, and were disappointed to watch Martina and Arantxa come from behind, only to fall to the all- Slovenian pair of Krizan & Srebotnik.

Martina got off to a rocky start, and lost her serve at 3-4 in the first set, when Srebotnik whipped a forehand into the alley past Sánchez-Vicario to set up break point, and Navratilova double-faulted. The Slovenian duo took the set 6-3 when Navratilova pushed a return wide on set point. But Martina struck back, breaking Krizan's opening service game of the second set on a sharp return, and the crowd favourites stayed in front to level the match.

At this point Navratilova went for a bathroom break, and her Spanish partner entertained the fans by rallying with a ballboy. They kept their rally going for a while, until the ballboy shanked a backhand. When Martina returned to the court, upon seeing that Arantxa seemed to to have a new partner, she jokingly turned to head back off the court again before Sánchez called her back.

Navratilova/Sánchez-Vicario started the third set well, again breaking Krizan to jump ahead 2-0, but Navratilova immediately surrendered her own serve. The legendary champion rebounded, however, driving a lethal volley straight at Krizan to break Srebotnik. I had to leave at this point, and it seemed that Navratilova/Sánchez-Vicario had the match in hand. But they obviously did not keep the lead. Make the final: 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 for Team Slovenia. Nothing against Arantxa, but I hope the goat horns were not worn by Martina tonight!

Tomorrow's doubles final will see Krizan/Srebotnik lock horns with the makeshift 5th-seeded team of Kimberly Po-Messerli & Nicole Pratt, who upset second seeds Cara Black and Elena Likhovtseva this afternoon, 7-6 (7-1), 6-4. Black/Likhovtseva had been one of the ace doubles combinations this year, winning five doubles titles this year, including at San Diego two weeks ago. Po-Messerli, who usually pairs with Nathalie Tauziat these days, has a higher doubles ranking, but it was the Aussie P ratt who caught our attention today. Nicole behaved at times like a Lleyton Hewitt on speed, skipping around and offering fist pumps and shouts of "Come on!" with great abandon. Her enthusiasm is a singular contrast to the stoicism of the mellow but proficient Po-Messerli.