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--> --> Capriati knocks off Hingis PARIS (AP) - Jennifer Capriati defeated top-seeded Martina Hingis in the semifinals of the French Open on Thursday to move within reach of a second consecutive Grand Slam title. Capriati, seeded fourth, overwhelmed her opponent with her powerful groundstrokes to take the match 6-4, 6-3. She sealed victory when Hingis sent her last forehand long. She plays Belgium's Kim Clijsters in the final on Saturday. "It's like I've been reincarnated," said Capriati, who last played the semis at Roland Garros in 1990. That year she became the youngest ever Grand Slam semifinalist at 14, but never got past the quarterfinals at the French in the decade that followed. The 25-year-old won her first Grand Slam title by taking the Australian Open in January. Capriati raised her fist in a sign of victory after closing out the match on the windy and overcast center court. "This match was difficult, I knew she wanted to win her first Roland Garros, and I wanted to win mine too," Capriati said. Hingis, 20, has won every other Grand Slam title at least once, but has never taken the French, despite reaching the final twice. "She just overwhelmed me. She played too good," Hingis said. "I had too many chances which I wasted." The Swiss star, who was jeered and whistled at when she questioned calls, broke Capriati in the opening game but was broken back twice. Leading 4-1, the American had a trainer massage her right knee during a changeover and briefly lost her edge. Hingis leveled at 4-4, then blew two break points in the following game as Capriati pounded forehand volleys down the line. She conceded the first set on a long backhand. In the final set, Capriati came back from 40-0 down to win the seventh and eighth games. She served out the match without letting her opponent score a single point. Capriati beat Hingis in straight sets in the final of the Australian Open. She has won the last three of their eight matches. "She is the hottest player on the tour," said Hingis, predicting that Capriati will be the favorite when she meets Clijsters in the final on Saturday. Clijsters, seeded 12th, became the first Belgian to reach the final of a Grand Slam by beating fellow Belgian Justine Henin 2-6, 7-5, 6-3. She closed out the match with an unreachable forehand smash. "I'm very happy," said the 17-year-old, who had never before gotten past the fourth round of a Grand Slam. "She played too good for me in the first set. I kept trying and focusing." Henin began the match aggressively, taking the first set in 28 minutes as her opponent made a string of errors, repeatedly overhitting the ball and sending it long or wide. She broke again early in the second set, but at 4-2 blew three break points. Clijsters held serve, recovered her confidence and leveled at one set all as boyfriend Lleyton Hewitt looked on from the stands. In the final set, Clijsters made the decisive break when Henin, leading 40-0 in the sixth game, made five unforced errors to give her opponent a 4-2 advantage. Henin, No. 14, was Clijsters' first seeded opponent of the tournament. The win was a repeat of their only previous meet on the WTA Tour, a third-round match at Indian Wells last March during which Clijsters recovered from a one-set deficit to claim victory. Email your... Technical questions & comments to: WebMaster Daily Tidings editorial comments & questions to: Editor Visit our other Oregon Newspapers... | Albany Democrat-Herald | Ashland Daily Tidings | Corvallis Gazette-Times | | Lebanon Express | Newport News-Times | Springfield News | Cottage Grove Sentinel | Ashland Daily Tidings 1661 Siskiyou Blvd. Ashland, OR 97520 Telephone 541-482-3456 © Copyright 2001 Lee Northwest Publishing