Serena Williams captures crown

TORONTO, AUG. 20 Serena Williams subdued top-seeded Jennifer Capriati 6-1, 6-7 (7/9), 6-3 here on Sunday to capture the $ 1.2 million WTA Tour hardcourt tournament.

The younger of the Williams sisters, seeded fourth, cruised through the first set. Her serve proved decisive, as she fended of six break points and fired five aces.

After a rain delay of nearly three hours, Capriati returned to the court re-energised, forcing a tiebreaker and a third set. Capriati tried to keep the momentum in the third set, but Williams' serve again proved too powerful. As Williams' aces multiplied, Capriati's double-fault tally climbed to eight for the match.

Williams improved on her runner-up finish at this event last year when it was in Montreal. Then a sore foot forced her to abandon the final. She pocketed $ 178,000 for the victory, while Capriati earned $ 91,000.

Capriati, the reigning Australian and French Open champion, was participating in her seventh final of the year, and her third in this event. She won the Canadian title in 1991, when she was just 15, and was runner-up in 1993. By reaching the final here, she insured that she will return to second in the world rankings, regaining the place she had conceded last week to Lindsay Davenport.

- AFP

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Section  : Sport
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