USopen'03day11

Hewitt, Capriati face tall tasks

By Eleanor Preston and Matthew Cronin
tennisreporters.net

FROM THE US OPEN – A relentless rain nearly spoiled one of the most exciting US Opens ever, but now fans will be treated to one of the most fabulous Fridays in the tournament's history.

Top seed Andre Agassi will have an opportunity avenge his heart-wrenching defeat to Guillermo Coria at Roland Garros in the quarterfinals and American veteran Lindsay Davenport will have a chance to go for the title again when she tries to trip up No. 1 Kim Clijsters in the semis, but the two matches that most wet the appetite are '01 US Open champ Lleyton Hewitt against reigning French titlist Juan Carlos Ferrero, and American comeback queen Jennifer Capriati facing off against gritty French Open champion Justine Henin-Hardenne.

In November of last year, Hewitt was the undisputed champion of the world. He had just secured the No. 1 ranking for a second consecutive year thanks to a series of gritty performances at the Masters Cup in Shanghai, the last of which was the unlikeliest of five set wins over Ferrero in the final.

Ten months on Hewitt is down to No. 6 and has had, by his impossibly high standards, an up-and-down year. His run to the quarterfinals of this year's Open is his best Grand Slam result in a season which reached a low point when he bombed out of the first round of Wimbledon. Now, just when he is beginning to feel like his old self again, he must face Ferrero again and this time it could be even tougher.

"It's going to be a grind again," sighed Hewitt, with a smile that suggested that the cussed side of his nature has him relishing a rematch. "I don't expect too much different from that match. I'm going to have to put my head down and work extremely hard. I've got a guy out there who's going to run down a lot of shots, he's going to hit a lot of winners. He's got great movement. I've just got to try to make him play as many balls as I can and stay aggressive."

SHANGHAI SHOWDOWN
Their match in Shanghai is regarded by all who saw it as something of a mini-classic. Hewitt had won the showpiece event the previous year in Sydney and, having secured the No. 1 position earlier in the week, was anxious to prove himself worthy of it. Ferrero, in those pre-French Open days, was still looking for his first significant title. Both men should have been exhausted after a long, arduous year but if they were, they hid it will during a match that was a battle of wills as well as skills. The Chinese crowd, who lit up the tournament with their enthusiasm throughout the week, created an atmosphere which made the stakes seem even higher.

Their quarterfinal at Flushing Meadows has even more riding on it. A victory over a class player like Ferrero and a place in the US Open semifinals would reaffirm Hewitt's place in the sport's elite after a year in which rivals like Andy Roddick and Roger Federer and his own inconsistencies have conspired to erode his position.

For Ferrero a win will be further proof that he is neither what John McEnroe colorfully terms a "one-Slam wonder" or a clay-court specialist. He was thought of as French Open champion-in-waiting long before he finally secured the Roland Garros title earlier this year. Taking the ultimate prize here would be more surprising and, in its way, even more satisfying.

Hewitt has never doubted the Spaniard's versatility. Plus, he knows that Ferrero wants to prove that Spaniards can win the Open on hard courts. "He's a guy who knows how to play big matches and I've had very tough matches against him in the past on hard courts," said Hewitt. "He's getting better and better on hard courts. He's one of the clay court guys, but he stands up in the court and he's aggressive. There's no reason why he can't play well on this stuff."

No reason, perhaps, except the dogged resistance of Hewitt himself. If he can deny Ferrero again it will surely bring back some happy memories. Enough, perhaps, to propel him all the way to the title.

THE OPEN DRAW
Capriati has never won the Open, let alone reach the finals. At age 27, this is her best chance to do so without the Williamses sisters around. But the nails-tough Henin-Hardenne hasn't lost a match since Wimbledon and playing with an incredible amount of confidence.

Susan Mullane/ Camerawork USA, Inc.

Capriati has been targeting the match the whole tournament and knows that if she doesn't play as well as she can and not back off the ball in the third set, Henin-Hardenne will race past her.

"I have to play my best," Capriati said. "I have to play the tennis I've been playing, but expect much better opposition. She hits the ball big, moves well, she has a lot of confidence. But even though I'm here at the US Open, she's the one you would think is supposed to win."

But not really, Even though Henin owns a 3-2 edge over her, Capriati will be playing a night match in front of her home crowd and has gone to three sets with the Belgian every time they've played. People are excepting Jennifer to finally raise her level in New York, just like she did twice in winning the Australian and once in France. She still feels a little like an underdog, but she had better be a half-starved pit bull when she walks on court.

"On the inside, I always feel like I'm the one who should win," Capriati said with a hopeful gaze. "That's the way you got to think out there."

What Henin-Hardenne really wants to do is take home the title immediately and move closer to countrywoman and rival Clijsters' No. 1 ranking.

"I came here to win the US Open," she said with a steely glare.

Up until this summer, Henin-Hardenne had never felt comfortable playing in New York. Now she 's as tough as any street hood down in the Bowery.

"It will be fun, I like to play in big stadiums now," she said. "I was scared a year ago because I wasn't used to it. Now I enjoy it. It's a great experience to play in this big stadium against Jennifer. I'm very impatient. I want to play now."