Serena Williams Beats Capriati

<br>KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. (AP) _ Serena Williams came from behind in the first set, erased seven set points in the second and beat top-seeded Jennifer Capriati 7-5, 7-6 (4) Saturday to win the Nasdaq-100

Saturday, March 30th 2002, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. (AP) _ Serena Williams came from behind in the first set, erased seven set points in the second and beat top-seeded Jennifer Capriati 7-5, 7-6 (4) Saturday to win the Nasdaq-100 Open.

Williams, seeded eighth, won her first Key Bicayne title by beating the world's top two players back to back. She advanced to the final with a breakthrough victory Thursday over older sister Venus.

When Capriati sent a backhand long on match point, Williams hopped to the net with glee, her index finger raised.

``It was two hours of unbelievable tennis from the first ball,'' said Williams, who didn't lose a set in the tournament.

The win was the third in a row for Williams over Capriati, all in finals, including at Scottsdale earlier this month. The rivalry now stands 4-4.

Capriati double-faulted five times, and each came at a critical moment. The noon sun and 86-degree heat may have taken a toll on her 36 hours after she beat Monica Seles in a grueling semifinal that extended past midnight.

``It's been a tough battle all week, tough with the schedule,'' Capriati said. ``I was giving it all I had. I'm not sure how much I had to give.''

Still, Capriati had her chances. She served for the first set at 5-4, but Williams won the next three games to take the set. On set point Capriati double-faulted into the net.

In the second set Williams fell behind 2-0 and trailed 5-3. Capriati had two set points in the ninth game and five more serving at 6-5, but Williams won them all.

Capriati took a 3-1 lead in the tiebreaker, and Williams rallied again, with Capriati committing errors on five of the final seven points.

Going for a winner at every opportunity, Williams feasted on Capriati's weak second serves and hit nine aces to help compensate for 59 unforced errors.

Capriati will retain the No. 1 ranking until at least April 15, ahead of No. 2 Venus Williams. Serena Williams will climb from ninth to seventh next week.

Williams earned $385,000 and Capriati won $200,000.