FRENCH OPEN / WOMEN : Capriati Wins on Father-Daughters’ Day

PARIS â€”  When it was over, after Jennifer Capriati defeated Mary Pierce, 6-4, 6-3, in the fourth round of the French Open on Monday, their fathers shook hands.

Many among the 12,000 spectators at Center Court were expecting something more exciting. But Stefano Capriati and Jim Pierce, excitable fathers who coach their teen-age daughters, were on their best behavior.

That left the daughters, whose lives have been as public as a TV sitcom, to bang away for 1 hour 24 minutes.

In what is regarded as the future of women’s tennis, Capriati showed the poise that has helped her rise quickly in the professional ranks, and Pierce showed the promise that could lead to a top-10 ranking soon.

Although Pierce, seeded 13th, fell apart after leading, 3-1, in the first set, she still gave Capriati fits.

“She has gotten a lot stronger,� said Capriati, seeded fifth.

The last time they met, they were Florida juniors building reputations--theirs and their fathers’.

Pierce, who rocks on the edge of his seat while watching his daughter, is a volatile fellow. Last Friday, he said, he got into an argument with two fans in the stands and hit them.

Confrontation comes easily to Pierce, a meaty man who dresses in black. He moved his family to France three years ago when the United States Tennis Assn. decided to subsidize Capriati instead of his daughter.

Pierce, 17, said she did not have anyone to practice with in Florida.

“I was just with my brother, my father on public courts,� she said.

Because her mother, Yannick, is French, the family was welcomed here. Mary Pierce said the French Tennis Federation supplied her with courts and practice partners, all of which have made the transition easier. Pierce was one of two French women to reach the fourth round at Roland Garros. The other, Nathalie Tauziat, also lost Monday.

As much as Pierce downplays her father’s influence, however, it is clear that he distracts her. She often yells at him to be quiet during matches.

“I shouldn’t let that affect me, but I mean, we have talked about it a lot,� she said. “He doesn’t try to distract me, but I guess sometimes he does.�

Even more has been made of Capriati’s rebellion against her father, who is determined to see her reach No. 1. Sometimes, it seems, he wants it more than she does.

When motivated, though, Capriati is outstanding.

After a slow start against Pierce, she attacked with steady ground strokes. By the time the second set was under way, a frustrated Pierce was lecturing herself after each passing winner.

Pierce had a golden chance to win a second service break and take 4-2 lead when she made the first major error that eventually led to her downfall. Calling it her favorite shot, Pierce flubbed an overhead while leading, 15-40. Pierce, who lives near Nice in the south of France, shrieked after the mistake, then went on to commit five unforced errors in the game to lose it. Instead of leading 4-2, she was tied, 3-3.

Pierce said she played according to her father’s strategy, but simply missed some easy shots.

“I gave it away,� she said.

Jim Pierce, however, told reporters his daughter did not do what she was told.

Capriati, who lives in Saddlebrook, Fla., was aware that Pierce is fierce when she gains confidence. So it was to her relief that Pierce started missing.

The victory helped Capriati, 16, become the only American to reach today’s quarterfinals, where she will face top-ranked Monica Seles, a Yugoslav living in Florida. Seles, 18, holds a 4-2 lead over Capriati, who won in their last meeting at Key Biscayne, Fla.

“I’m very eager to play the next match,� Capriati said, sounding enthusiastic for the first time in a week.

Tennis Notes

Gabriela Sabatini of Argentina, seeded third, plays Conchita Martinez of Spain, seeded seventh, in a quarterfinal match today. Sabatini is 7-2 against Martinez. The winner will meet the Monica Seles-Jennifer Capriati winner in Thursday’s semifinals. . . . No. 57 Manon Bollegraf of the Netherlands eliminated No. 14 Nathalie Tauziat of France, reaching a quarterfinal match against No. 4 Arantxa Sanchez Vicario of Spain. . . . No. 2 Steffi Graf will play No. 28 Natalia Zvereva of Belarus in the other quarterfinal. Zvereva has won only one set from Graf in eight matches.

In men’s play, the survivor of the Andre Agassi-Pete Sampras match will play the winner of the Jim Courier-Goran Ivanisevic quarterfinal. . . . In the bottom half of the men’s draw, where some of the higher seeded players were upset Saturday, No. 94 Nicklas Kulti of Sweden plays No. 200 Henri Leconte of France. Kulti needed 3 hours 12 minutes to eliminate Diego Perez of Uruguay, 6-3, 3-6, 7-5, 6-4. Leconte, a wild-card qualifier, defeated No. 108 Marcelo Filippini of Uruguay, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4.

Petr Korda, seeded seventh, advanced to the quarterfinals by defeating Jaime Oncins of Brazil, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2. Korda will face clay-court specialist Andrei Cherkasov of Moscow, a 6-3, 6-3, 7-6 (7-1) victor over Cedric Pioline of France. . . . Kulti, on facing French favorite Leconte: “It’s going to be great fun to play out there. I played Davis Cup in the Philippines and the crowd was pushing. You could say I’m pretty much used to (the noise).� . . . John McEnroe and Andre Agassi, seriously playing doubles for the first time, advanced to the quarterfinals with a 6-2, 6-1 victory over former UC Irvine players Mike Briggs and Trevor Kronemann.

A controversial plan to change the let rule in tennis fell out of court Monday when the International Tennis Federation postponed a decision. The change would allow a serve that clips the net and lands in to count as being in play instead of being replayed. But the ITF’s management committee decided not to recommend the change until more discussions are held with representatives of the men’s and women’s tours.