Rome, May 16: Jennifer Capriati defeated top seed Serena Williams to book her place in the final of the clay court Rome Masters.
Capriati, the fifth seed, took advantage of Williams' error-strewn performance to win an all American semi-final 6-4 6-4 and clinch a place in Sunday's showpiece against Amelie Mauresmo.
Williams battled back from 5-1 down in the second set, saving match point in the eighth before pulling back to 5-4, but Capriati held on to avenge her defeat to her compatriot in the 2002 semi-final here in Italy's capital.
Capriati said keeping her errors to a minimum was the key to ending her eight-game losing streak to Williams.
"The little difference was that she made a few more mistakes and got going too late in the match," said the 28-year-old, a three-time grand slam winner.

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"She fought back well at 5-1 and started to play better and I didn't want it to slip away.

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"I just kept thinking about myself and concentrated on winning my serve."

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Williams, who defeated Justine Henin-Hardenne in the 2002 final, took some positives from the tournament, only her fourth since having eight months off after knee surgery.

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"I didn't serve well enough today and overall I didn't play well enough, but for me it was a big step," said the 22-year-old.

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"I'm starting to feel a lot more solid than I did in my first round matches and that is a positive sign for me."

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