Capriati denies Hingis Charleston title
Switzerland's Martina Hingis has lost to Jennifer Capriati in the finals of the Family Circle tennis cup in Charleston, South Carolina. The American wore down the world number one with a series of penetrating groundstrokes to win a 6-0, 4-6, 6-4 victory.
After a disastrous first set, Hingis changed tactics, taking some of the pace off her shots. She eventually stormed to a 3-0 lead before finally winning the second set.
But after breaking serve in the first game of the third set, Hingis missed a few key shots, allowing Capriati to notch up a 5-1 lead. Sensing defeat, the Swiss player rallied again to take the set to 5-4. But as Hingis served to tie the match, a backhand error gave Capriati the victory.
It was a bitter defeat for Hingis, who lost out narrowly to Capriati in the final of the Australian Open in January, and had hoped to settle scores in Charleston.
“I felt like I was finally getting into my game, ” Hingis said afterwards of her third-set comeback against the American.
Hingis has failed to win any of her last four tournaments after three victories in her first five events of the year.
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