Jennifer Capriati survived a sluggish start and beat Kveta Peschke 7-5, 6-3 on Thursday in the second round of the French Open.
Capriati, the 2001 champion, fell behind 5-3 in the first set, then won six consecutive games to take control.
”I did what I had to do basically to win the match,” Capriati said. ”Maybe it took me a little while to get going and wake up.”
The seventh-seeded Capriati remained on course for a potential quarterfinal match against number two Serena Williams. Capriati ended a streak of eight consecutive losses against Williams by beating her in the Rome semifinal two weeks ago.
Capriati and Williams were among four top-10 American women still in the draw. With Andy Roddick’s loss on Wednesday, no United States men reached the third round, the first time that’s happened at a Grand Slam event in 31 years.
”It’s a different game out on the clay,” Capriati said. ”For most of the American guys, it’s difficult out there for them. For women it’s more of an all-court game. I guess it’s up to us to keep America alive here.”
Capriati drew scattered boos during her three-set first-round win at Roland Garros and said she didn’t know why. There were no jeers on Thursday from a small crowd attending the opening match on centre court.
”It was like back to normal,” Capriati said.
Peschke, a 28-year-old qualifier, served for the opening set at 5-4 but lost the game at love. She then lost her next service game as well when Capriati belted return winners on the final three points of the set.
Capriati swept the final three games of the match, closing out the victory when Peschke blew a backhand putaway.
Capriati hit more winners — 25 to 11 — but also had more unforced errors, 30 to 28. She faced 11 break points, but Peschke converted just two.
Less than halfway through the second round, Roddick found himself the lone remaining American in the men’s draw. Then a Frenchman sent him home, too.
Indecisive and impatient on his worst surface, the second-seeded Roddick twice squandered leads on Wednesday and lost to Frenchman Olivier Mutis 3-6, 6-3, 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-2.
Roddick’s record in the past three years on the Roland Garros clay fell to 1-3.
”It’s a challenge for me,” he said. ”That’s no secret. But I’m going to keep plugging away. That’s all I can do.”
The French Open has long brought out the worst in US men, including Pete Sampras, John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors, none of whom won the tournament. The 10 American men entered this year went 2-10, including a first-round loss by 1999 champion Andre Agassi.
Five defeats came against Frenchmen, with number 27 Vince Spadea eliminated two hours before Roddick, losing to qualifier Julien Jeanpierre 6-4, 6-2, 7-5.
”This hasn’t been our place for a couple of years now,” Roddick said. ”That’s just the challenge. You try to right the ship.”
In the Open era, the only other major events where no US men made it to the third round were the 1972 and 1973 Australian Opens, which no American entered.
Roddick wasn’t the lone upset victim: Justine Henin-Hardenne made the earliest exit by a defending women’s champion. Ranked number one but still recovering from a viral ailment, she lost to Tathiana Garbin 7-5, 6-4.
”Life continues,” she said. ”It’s a bad day. Tomorrow is going to be better.”
The kind of conditions that can make Paris a challenge — cool, damp evening weather — cost Roddick some of his power against Mutis. The reigning US Open champion hit 15 aces, but lost his serve nine times.
And an erratic effort showed he’s still learning how to play on clay.
Roddick managed an early service break in the fourth set, but was unable to hold the lead. He blew an easy volley to lose serve in the opening game of the final set, then began to play too aggressively.
”Maybe I started pressing a little bit,” Roddick said.
He became increasingly dispirited as his mistakes mounted, failed to chase some shots and fell behind 5-0.
”I was waffling,” Roddick acknowledged. ”I wasn’t decisive enough. I wasn’t sticking with things I wanted to do.” — Sapa-AP