Los Angeles, Nov 09: Capriati, who suffered a hip muscle strain in her opening victory over Sugiyama and was steamrolled on Friday by Henin-Hardenne, appeared to be moving a bit more freely yesterday.
"I just did everything I could to make myself feel better," said Capriati, who guaged her fitness at about 80 per cent.
"It wasn't my best tennis," she added. "But I did what I had to do. I tried to come to the net more, finish the points a little quicker."
She earned the key break of the opening set in the 11th game. The tenacious Russian rebounded to take the second set but gave up a break in the first game of the third and could never get ahead.
"I did a couple of really stupid mistakes," said Myskina, who had two break points in the next game but couldn't capitalise.



"If I would have won the game," she said of that break chance, "it would have been one-all.



"After this game I was kind of upset, and then I lost concentration a little bit."



Capriati served for the match at 5-2 of the third and was broken. But two games later she put it away on her fourth match point when Myskina netted a service return.



Myskina, who said she cried for two hours after dropping a three-setter to Henin-Hardenne, said she wouldn't be shedding any tears over this one.



"No crying," she said. "I fly home tomorrow."



Rubin will likely find it harder to forget throwing away a golden shot at the semi-finals.


Bureau Report