Capriati Bounced By Novotna

Jennifer Capriati’s tennis comeback didn’t get her beyond the quarterfinals of the $450,000 Faber Grand Prix in Essen, Germany. It did get her an injury.

Jana Novotna beat Capriati 7-6 (8-6), 2-6, 6-3 as the American put up a good fight despite a strain in her upper left thigh.

Novotna will face Anke Huber in the semifinals today. In the other semifinal, top-seeded Iva Majoli will face Asa Carlsson.

At New York, Swedish player Mats Wilander, in his first public interview since allegations surfaced that he and fellow pro Karel Novacek used cocaine during last year’s French Open, insisted he has “never used illegal drugs.”