Capriati on top in power play

Jennifer Capriati's victory in the French Open in Paris on Saturday has proved that the future of the women's game is moving further from the technical excellence of Martina Hingis and more towards the explosive striking of power players.

It barely needed to be stated but after a record-equalling 22game third set at Roland Garros during which both Capriati and Kim Clijsters hit more winners and more errors than anyone could remember in a final, the level of power play has again taken a quantum leap.

The cornering of the market clearly no longer belongs to the Williams sisters.

Capriati, at the apex of the game once more and touted as a possible Grand Slam achiever (all four majors in the same calendar year) endured the relentless pummelling of 18-year-old Clijsters for two hours 21 minutes and finally nailed down the match in the 77-minute third set after service games were exchanged seven times.

Clijsters hit 76 unforced errors and Capriati 79, an unusually high amount with the Belgian actually winning more points in total than the American, 131 to 126, before losing the match 1-6, 6-4, 12-10.

"If you see all the new upcoming players are all players who hit the ball very hard," said Clijsters. "Jelena Dokic, Justine Henin, Elena Dementieva, they hit the ball hard, like to go for points. I think this is probably the future of tennis.

"I wasn't feeling tired. I was pleased with the way I played and that I gave 200 per cent. I kept fighting for every point. I was happy to see that we still had very good rallies at 10-10 in the third."

It was not the shape the match was expected to take with the inexperience of Clijsters in her first Grand Slam final being overshadowed by the reinvigorated Capriati.

Inevitably, the American's rise to her second Slam of the season was again being packaged as a tale of redemption and a triumph of the work ethic. Given her troubled past, when she dropped out of tennis for almost three years and her ever improving physical condition, few could argue.

The match itself was wholly defined by the third set, Capriati inexplicably dropping the first 6-1 before a significant 6-4 revival in the second threw it into a deciding third set.

Clijsters, playing with commendable poise showed few signs of nerve and was the player who drew most of the gasps with her elastic retrieving of raking Capriati forehands.

But Clijsters' athleticism and power were not quite grooved enough for the 25-year-old and as the match approached its climax over the final four games when nerves crept in and service games began to waver, it was the Australian Open champion who came up with the big points.

Clijsters had four breakpoints on Capriati's serve in the 14th game and another two in the 20th game but each time Capriati refused to concede. But nor could she subjugate the first-time finalist, twice having opportunities to break.

Finally the 21st game offered the chance. Capriati took it and served out the match, a forehand to the corner fittingly ending the contest.

"Gee 155 errors. I think that's just the way the women's game is now," said Capriati. "If you are going to go for your shots, you're not always going to make it. You're going to make errors. I think it's better to take the chance. That's the way young players are playing. They're being brought up to play like that. I think you have to play like that.

"I just stayed in there and knew that I would pick up the level of my game. I knew there was going to be a time where she would just let up a little bit."

Dedicating her win to cancer stricken Corina Morariu, the doubles partner of Lindsay Davenport, Capriati refused to look towards Wimbledon but threateningly noted that she feels comfortable on grass.

"I'm not even thinking about it (Wimbledon) yet. I mean I like grass. I can't wait to get on it and play on it."

Women's Singles Final: (4) J Capriati (USA) bt (12) K Clijsters (Bel) 1-6 6-4 12-10.

Men's Doubles Final: M Bhupathi (Ind) and L Paes (Ind) bt (13) P Pala (Cze) and P Vizner (Cze) 7-6 (7-5) 6-3.

Mixed Doubles Final: V Ruano-Pascual (Spa) and T Carbonell (Spa) bt P Suarez (Arg) and J Oncins (Bra) 7-5 6-3.