Jennifer Capriati moved into the last 16 at Wimbledon today with a 6-4 6-2 defeat of the Czech Republic's Daja Bedanova. The American third seed was broken to love in her first service game of the match as the 19-year-old made an explosive start. But with unforced errors scattering Court One Capriati broke back immediately then grabbed another break to lead 5-4 and serve successfully for the set.
Capriati made a better start to the second set, breaking Bedanova in the first and third games to take a match-winning lead. But once again her own serve let her down and the Czech teenager took advantage of some sloppy errors to take one break back.
Although she held her next service game, Bedanova had left herself too much to do, and Capriati broke her to love in the seventh game to take a 5-2 lead. She served out but the result did little justice to the struggle in which she had allowed herself to become ensnared.
The 26-year-old will now take on Greece's Eleni Daniilidou in the fourth round.
Third round scores:Amelie Mauresmo(Fra x9) bt Anastasia Myskina(Rus x18) 6-4 6-2Laura Granville (USA) bt Mary Pierce (Fra) 3-6 6-4 6-1Serena Williams (USA x2) bt Els Callens (Bel) 7-6 (7/5) 7-6 (7/2) Jennifer Capriati (USA x3) bt Daja Bedanova (Cze x26) 6-4 6-2Eleni Daniilidou (Gre) bt Miriam Oremans (Ned) 7-6 (7/5) 6-4Chanda Rubin (USA) bt Tatiana Panova (Rus x21) 6-4 6-1Jelena Dokic (Yug x7) bt Nathalie Dechy (Fra x25) 7-5 6-2Daniela Hantuchova (Svk x11) bt Maja Matevzic (Slo) 6-4 6-4
Filed by Shane Murray
