Marcelo Rios leads ATP champions race

Capriati wins
SYDNEY: Jenninfer Capriati is finding she can hit the ball better than most players on the women’s tour but her problem is getting into position to do so.Capriati, enjoying her best ranking of 14 since her hey-days at No 6 in 1991-93, won her opening round match at the Sydney international here on Monday, accounting for Russian Tatiana Panova, 6-4, 3-6, 6-1.

Elsewhere, Australian power server Alicia Molik ousted American Meghann Shaughnessy, 6-1, 7-6 (7-1), American Brie Rippner ended Thailand’s Tamarine Tanasugarn’s tournament, 6-0, 6-7 (4-7), 6-3 and Austrian Barbara Schett skated past Spain’s Gala Leon Garcia 7-2, 6-4.

In the men’s draw, French Davis Cup member and sixth seed Sebastien Grosjean took out Australian Richard Fromberg 7-6 (7-3), 6-2.

Compatriot Fabrice Santoro knocked out German David Prinosil, 6-3, 6-3, Germany’s Rainer Schuettler was taken to three sets by Slava Dosedel of the Czech Republic, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 and Italy’s Gianluca Pozzi defeated Moroccan eighth seed Younes el Ayanoui 7-5, 6-4.

Sarah exit
HOBART: French qualifier Stephanie Foretz upset her higher-ranked compatriot and eighth seed Sarah Pitkowski in the opening round of the Tasmanian international women’s tennis tournament here on Monday.Foretz, 19, and ranked 157, dropped the opening set but was too strong for 66th-ranked Pitkowski, winning 4-6, 6-4, 6-2.

Elsewhere, top seeded American Amy Frazier and second seed Elena Likhovetseva of Russia had comfortable passages into the second round. Frazier beat German Marlene Weingartner 6-3, 6-4 and Likhovetseva dismissed Katalin Marosi-Aracama of Hungary 6-1, 7-5.