CAPRIATI wins French Open

Saturday, June 9th 2001, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

PARIS (AP) _ Jennifer Capriati survived a marathon third set to beat Kim Clijsters 1-6, 6-4, 12-10 in the French Open final on Saturday and move halfway to that rarest tennis achievement _ a Grand Slam.

Capriati closed out the 1-6, 6-4, 12-10 victory with a forehand winner down the line that her opponent could not reach.

The Australian Open champion climbed up into the stands to hug her father, Stefano, after claiming the title

``I'm so happy, I can't even describe it,'' Capriati said.

Next up in her Grand Slam quest is Wimbledon this month, followed by the U.S. Open later in the summer.

Clijsters, 18, was playing her first Grand Slam final.

Only three women have won the Grand Slam, with Steffi Graf the last in 1988. Capriati is the first woman to capture the year's first two majors since Monica Seles in 1992.