Martinez topples injured Capriati

Conchita Martinez swept aside top–seeded Jennifer Capriati 6–0, 6–3 here yesterday in the second round of the Swisscom Challenge.

Martinez, ranked 47th in the WTA rankings, dispatched the World No 3 in 1 hour 17 minutes, capitalising on the American's lack of play time on the slow carpet in Zurich to secure her quarter-final berth.

"It's a great win," said Martinez, who entered the tournament thanks to her special protected ranking of 16. "I felt really confident. I played my game and everything went my way, but I didn't expect to beat Jennifer 6–0 in the first set."

Unable to get her bearings early in the match, Capriati only made her first sign of resistance at 5–0, saving four set points before surrendering.

Down 1–0 in the second, Capriati suddenly began to limp after landing heavily and required a six minute injury break to tape her left ankle.

The break appeared to help, however, with Capriati winning her first game of the match to go 1–1. But the American still appeared sluggish and Martinez made a decisive break to take a 4–2 lead, then simply continued to hold serve to close out the match.

Capriati's WTA injury report listed her as being in "questionable" condition to compete and the 26–year–old said she would have to wait and see how fit her ankle was before deciding if she could play in Linz, Austria, next week. She was being examined further by Kathy Martin, the primary health care provider in Zurich.

"I landed funny, I think I jammed it," Capriati said. "It was a freakish thing. Very strange. It eased up a lot after I had it taped. But I can still feel it's there. I'll have to see what's going on before thinking about Linz."

"My ankle wasn't hurting in the first set. I simply had a bad start," said Capriati, who received a first round bye and therefore had to wait to play her first match. "She had already played a game and I couldn't get my rhythm. I was missing my shots. I set it up for her to dictate the points. In the first set I wasn't even playing tennis."

Martinez, who suffered an Achilles tendon injury that sidelined her for nearly six months, enjoys a special ranking status which allowed her to enter the Zurich event.

The Spaniard was ranked 16th at the quarter-finals of Wimbledon in 2001, when her injury forced her to stop playing until December 31, 2001, though she played several Fed Cup matches in the interim. Upon her return to WTA action, Martinez, whose ranking had dropped into the 30s, gained a special status, allowing her to use her protected ranking of 16 at eight tournaments over the next year.

"It still isn't completely well, there are certain things I can't do," Martinez said. "But I can still play with the top players in the world."

Martinez, will face either American Alexandra Stevenson or fifth–seeded Jelena Dokic in the quarter-finals.

In other games, fourth–seeded Justine Henin swept past Anna Smashnova 6–3, 6–1 for a place in the quarter-finals.

Henin will face eighth–seeded Anastasia Myskina of Russia or local favourite Marie–Gaianeh Mikaelian. The Belgian said she had an axe to grind with both girls.

Henin was beaten by Myskina in the second round at New Haven in August. She also lost to Mikaelian four years ago at a small tournament in Poitiers, France. The two have never met since.

"It feels good to win after losing the first round to (Myriam) Casanova in Filderstadt last week," Henin said. "It was important to get off on the right foot."