Dateline: 01/27/01

Jennifer Capriati is no longer in the midst of a comeback. She has reached a major summit in her long and difficult climb back to the top of the tennis world. Capriati is the Australian Open singles champion, having defeated Martina Hingis 6-4, 6-3 in Saturday's final.

Jennifer joined the pro tour at an amazingly young 14. By age 15, she had reached the semis at the French Open, Wimbledon, and U.S. Open. At 16, she won the Olympic gold in singles at Barcelona. Then, at 17, she left the tour, falling into trouble with drugs and a variety of personal and family problems. After more than two years away, Jennifer began a comeback that started slowly, but began to pick up speed in 1999 and gained enough traction in 2000 to earn her a 12th seed at this 2001 Australian Open.

Sometimes a player makes a final with a lot of help from the luck of the draw, but Capriati earned this one the hard way. Down a set and 2-4 against Monica Seles in the quarterfinals, she rallied back to win 5-7, 6-4, 6-3. Against Lindsay Davenport in the semis, she had a surprisingly easy time, 6-3, 6-4. Her odds against Hingis in the final, though, still looked fairly long.

Hingis came into the final having defeated, for the first time, both Williams sisters back-to-back. Serena gave her a tough match, but she then handed Venus her worst loss ever, 6-1, 6-1. Martina looked simply brilliant against Venus. Capriati, though, played Hingis with Venus-like power, tremendous depth, and, given these elements, remarkable consistency. She also showed excellent fitness and speed. Most importantly, she played with confidence, going for the corners and the sidelines without fear. Hingis was a little shaky at the outset, losing the first four games, but even when she settled down, she couldn't handle Capriati's power and accuracy.

Professional tennis interrupted Jennifer Capriati's process of growing up, making that process rougher than it should have been, but the balance has tipped back to the positive. Jennifer is a happy, and at 24, still young Australian Open champion, ten years after the world first enjoyed seeing her on court.