Williams beats Capriati in Key Biscayne final

KEY BISCAYNE: Serena Williams extended her 2003 unbeaten streak by beating American countrywoman Jennifer Capriati for the seventh consecutive time yesterday, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1, to win the Nasdaq-100 Open.

Williams, who is ranked No. 1 and 17-0 this year, also beat Capriati in the 2002 final. Playing on her 27th birthday, the No. 6-seeded Capriati won four games in a row to take charge of the first set, and an erratic Williams appeared susceptible to an upset. It was the first set Williams had dropped in the tournament. The noisy stadium crowd was firmly in Capriati’s corner, but Williams steadied her game in the second set and won nine consecutive points early in the third to grab the lead. Taking a big swing on almost every shot, Williams finished with 42 unforced errors to 21 for Capriati, but compensated with a big advantage in winners — 33 to 13. On match point, Capriati pulled a backhand wide, and Williams raised her arms and hopped up and down with glee.

Capriati now is behind 8-4 in the all-time series against Williams. She hasn’t beaten Williams since the Wimbledon quarterfinals in 2001. Williams earned US $393,000. Capriati received runner-up money — US $206,000 — for the third year in a row. She lost to Venus Williams in the 2001 final. No. 5-seeded Carlos Moya of Spain advanced to the men’s final by beating Paradorn Srichaphan of Thailand 6-4, 6-2 on Friday night. Moya’s opponent today will be the winner of the  semifinal between Spanish compatriot Albert Costa and Andre Agassi, bidding for his sixth Key Biscayne title and his third in a row.