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Capriati Beats Huber in Pilot Pen
Jennifer Capriati overcame a disastrous first set and a swollen left leg Wednesday to beat Anke Huber 0-6, 6-3, 6-2 in the Pilot Pen tournament Wednesday.
Capriati lost touch with her booming serves in the first set, landing only 10 of 22 first serves and committing 11 double faults.
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``I can't play my best tennis all the time,'' she said. ``I have a big serve when I want to and I just don't try to hit puffballs on my second serve.''
Huber's strong return game consistently turned the ``puffballs'' into points and the German closed out the first set in 18 minutes.
Capriati, ranked No. 2 in the world, settled down at the start of the second set, winning eight of the first nine points. She served five aces in the second set, including the final two points.
During the second set, she accidentally whacked herself in the lower left leg with her racquet. A trainer iced and wrapped the injury.
Huber, who is retiring at the end of the year, was disappointed with her performance.
``I had my chances,'' Huber said. ``I just didn't take them.''
Huber's pinpoint returns kept Capriati on the move the entire match, but she was able to break Capriati's serve just once after the first set.
``She came out blazing in the first set,'' Capriati said.
Serving for the match, it appeared Capriati's service troubles resurfaced. Up 15-0, she double-faulted the next two points. Capriati won the final three points with two forehand winners and hit a booming second serve that Huber sent long.
``It was a matter of concentrating hard on those important points,'' Capriati said.
The Australian and French Open champion, Capriati said she can't sneak up on anyone anymore.
``I have to expect that all the time,'' she said.
Capriati has beaten Huber six of the last seven times. She advanced into the quarterfinals against the winner of Jelena Dokic and Lisa Raymond.
Nathalie Tauziat of France also advanced with a 6-1, 7-6 (3) win over Czech qualifier Kveta Hrdlickova.
Tauziat nearly dropped the second set. She battled back from a 1-4 deficit, then was within two points of losing the set before tasking the match to a tiebreak.
In a quarterfinal match late Wednesday, Lindsay Davenport, the tournament's top seeded player, met Amelie
Mauresmo.
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