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Capriati replaces Hingis as world No 1

Nesha Starcevic,Germany
Saturday 13 October 2001 00:00 BST
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Capping a remarkable comeback in a career that began with so much promise and then slid into a seemingly irreversible decline, Jennifer Capriati is the new No 1 in women's tennis.

Capriati was assured of taking over the top spot for the first time when Martina Hingis sprained her right ankle and had to abandon the semifinal match against Lindsay Davenport at the Porsche Grand Prix on Saturday.

"I am speechless," Capriati said. "I'm just very, very happy, more than anything.

"I want to call my mom and my brother and to share the good news with them." Capriati's father, Stefano, was at the tournament with her.

"I've always dreamed about it, but I never thought that some time at the end of my career I'd be able to look back and say that I was No. 1, even it was just for a day."

Hingis needed to beat Davenport to retain the No. 1, which the Swiss player held for 73 straight weeks and a total of 209 weeks.

But in the third game, Hingis lunged for a passing shot on her backhand side, stepped awkwardly and fell on her back. She lost that game, to fall behind 2–1 in the opening set, and during the changeover, Hingis' right ankle was taped.

Hingis went back on court for the fourth game but stopped after two points.

"It's a very disappointing way to finish this match," Hingis said. "She wrong–footed me on break point and I heard those two loud clicks in my right ankle. Right now it's swollen and hurts a lot."

Although Capriati had lost in the quarterfinals, the complicated computer ranking system allowed her to go to the top.

Asked after her quarterfinal loss to Sandrine Testud on Friday whether she had ever imagined becoming No. 1 while battling drug and personal problems a few years ago, Capriati replied: "To tell you the truth, no."

The American has had a much more successful year than Hingis, who had a lot of points to defend at the end of the year. She finished last year strongly, winning in Moscow, Filderstadt and Zurich before capturing the season–ending Sanex Championship.

Hingis will now lose points earned at Moscow and Filderstadt and her injury could rule her out of Zurich next week and perhaps even the Sanex Championship, slated for Munich, Germany, at the end of the month.

"I am not sure right at the moment how bad it is, it will take a couple of days to see that," said Hingis, who planned to leave as soon as possible for Zurich and undergo an MRI there.

When the new computer rankings come out Monday, Capriati will have 4,867 points, Hingis 4,842. With Hingis possibly out of action, Capriati now looks likely to finish the year as No. 1.

Capriati, 25, won the year's first two Grand Slam tournaments, the Australian and French Open, and reached the semifinals in the other two, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open.

Hingis, on the other hand, is in her worst career slump, having now gone through 13 tournaments without a title. She hasn't won a Grand Slam since the 1999 Australian Open.

The injury came on one of her favorite courts. She won her first pro title here in 1996 and went on to capture the tournament four of the last five years.

"It didn't look good on replay," Davenport said. "I feel very sorry for her, she's a good friend. I was very upset. It's a really bad moment for her."

Capriati is the ninth player, and fourth American, to sit atop the computer rankings since their inception in 1975, and she earned it.

She compiled a 24–2 record at Grand Slam events in 2001, and 52–12 over the year.

When Capriati moved into the top 10 after winning the Australian Open in January, it was the first time she had been so high in the rankings since early 1994, when she had abandoned the tour at age 17 because of drug and personal problems.

"I am proud to be able to come back from everything that's happened in my life, and just to enjoy tennis and play this well. I think it shows everybody that it's never too late to realize your talent, or your dream. If you think positive and believe in yourself, good things are going to come," said Capriati, who was ranked as low as No. 267 in April of 1998.

"Obviously, I've been more committed to the sport in the last few years and in Australia this year everything clicked for me and since then I have been playing really well."

Capriati said she felt sorry for Hingis, "but it happens, it's happened to me."

"I just hope she doesn't have to miss the rest of the season," Capriati said.

In the other semifinal, sixth–seeded Justine Henin beat Testud 6–3, 7–6 (3). Henin, seeking her fourth title of the year, will play the No. 3–seeded Davenport on Sunday for the title at the dlrs 565,000 tournament. Davenport is looking for her fifth title of 2001.

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