Novotna Denies Capriati’s Bid For First Title Since 1993

Jana Novotna stopped Jennifer Capriati’s bid for her first title since 1993, winning the final five games Sunday to take a 6-4, 3-6, 6-1 victory in the finals of the Ameritech Cup in Chicago.

Novotna, second-seeded and the No. 5 player in the world, won her third title of 1996.

Capriati, who captivated the tennis world as a 14-year-old six years ago, returned to the tour this season after two years of personal turmoil that included two stints in drug rehabilitation.

Cheered loudly by a crowd at the University of Illinois-Chicago Pavilion, Capriati, unseeded and ranked 50th, showed she still has the game to return to the tour’s elite.

She upset top-ranked Monica Seles on Saturday night and also had victories in the tournament over defending champion Magdalena Maleeva and 1995 finalist Lisa Raymond.

Thomas Enqvist, his serve whistling as high as 125 mph, beat French Open champion Yevgeny Kafelnikov 6-2, 6-4, 7-5 to capture the Paris Open.