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Capriati to face Davenport

Jennifer Capriati returns a shot to Amelie Mauresmo of France during the Pilot Pen tournament at Connecticut Tennis Center in New Haven, Connecticut, Friday. PHOTO: AFP

Third-seeded Jennifer Capriati advanced to the finals of the Pilot Pen when Amelie Mauresmo retired because of an upset stomach midway through their match.

Capriati was up 6-3, 3-1 Friday night when the second-seeded Mauresmo withdrew.

Mauresmo said she began feeling ill after her quarterfinal win Thursday and felt worse Friday. She speculated she may have fallen ill to either a stomach virus, food poisoning or the sweltering heat of the last two days in New Haven.

"It's tough to play in a match against a player like Jennifer when you're not 100 percent," said Mauresmo, of France. "There's no point. I tried, but it doesn't make sense."

She called for the trainer before the start of their last game to ask if there was any medicine available that could help.

Mauresmo, seeded fifth in next week's US Open, has struggled with injuries this year. She missed four months with an inflamed right knee and withdrew from Wimbledon with a right rib muscle injury.

Capriati, who will play fellow American Lindsay Davenport in Saturday's final in the hardcourt event, said she could understand Mauresmo's decision. She said she didn't realize her opponent was ailing because she was concentrating on her own game.

"She wants to be ready for the US Open," Capriati said of the year's last major that gets under way Monday.

Earlier Friday, Venus Williams withdrew from the US Open because of a chronic stomach muscle strain.

Capriati dominated Mauresmo throughout the 48-minute match, scoring repeatedly with deep baseline winners and a solid service game.

"I really wanted to move her around and not let her get in a groove," Capriati said. "I felt like I was really moving well. I felt light out there and really moving on all my shots."

She said her confidence has been increasing heading into this final and next week's Open, where she is seeded sixth.

"I feel like the other one has to play also pretty well to beat me," Capriati said. "I just try to stay in the moment and try to stay in that sort of zone."

Davenport beat Elena Dementieva of Russia 6-4, 6-2 in sweltering conditions in the afternoon, reaching the final of the US Open tuneup for the fourth time in five years. She lost every time to four-time champion Venus Williams.

"It's great to have a lot of success here. It would be nice to actually go on and win the tournament one time," Davenport said.

Davenport is seeded third at next week's Open, the site of her first Grand Slam win in 1998. With both Williams sisters out of the Open -- defending champ Serena Williams is recovering from knee surgery -- Davenport expects a wide open competition.

"I do think it's a shame for the fans. Serena and Venus have been dominating the slams the last few years," Davenport said.
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