Jennifer Capriati's rules violation may
have put the United States in an early hole, but Austria's Barbara Schwartz
buried the 17-time Federation Cup championship team.
Schwartz saved a match point on Sunday, rallying to beat Meghann Shaughnessy
4-6 7-6 (9-7) 9-7 and clinch an eventual 3-2 victory for Austria over the
top-seeded Americans in their Fed Cup World Group first-round match-up.
"I'm just happy. It's unbelievable for us to win here," Schwartz said.
"Today, I thought I have to fight for every point and take every chance. It was
a tough situation for them to lose their number one player at home, but it was
still a great team without Capriati."
Schwartz also upset world number six Monica Seles on Saturday.
Austria will now host Croatia in the quarter-finals, which are marked for July
20-21.
Also in the next round, defending champions Belgium will visit Italy, Spain
welcome Germany and France play host to Slovakia.
American captain Billie Jean King remained upbeat despite the loss and refused
to rule out Capriati's involvement in the 2003 team.
The 26-year-old was ruled out of this weekend's matches after failing to comply
with the "closed, team-only" practice policy which saw the Americans forfeit the
match where Capriati should have met Evelyn Fauth.
"My only regret is that we didn't win. Otherwise, absolutely not," King said.
"We're a great team. We're all together in this. Not only the team, not only
Monica, Meghann and Lisa (Raymond), but our support team."
King then was asked if Capriati would be asked to join the 2003 US Fed Cup
team.
"I don't know," she said. "I'm always very open to start over, but I'm also older
and have more history behind me and understand that relationships are the most
important thing in the world, not tennis matches. It's very easy to say at 58,
59.
"When you're in the thick of it, you think it's so important."
King admitted she has had no communication with Capriati since she left
Charlotte.
The American captain said she "offered to speak with her." But "she didn't want
to."
In Sunday's other matches in Charlotte, Seles rolled past Fauth 6-3 6-3 and the
American duo of Raymond and Shaughnessy defeated Marion Maruska and Schwartz
6-1 7-6 (7-4).
Meanwhile, second seeds Belgium began the defence of their title with a 3-1 win
over Australia in Brussels at the Royal Leopold Club.
Nicole Pratt of Australia rolled over Els Callens of Belgium 6-2 6-4. But
Wimbledon runner-up Justine Henin clinched the tie with a 6-2 6-1 rout of
Alicia Molik.
The Belgian doubles team of Els Callens and Laurence Courtois were leading 7-6
(7-2) over the Australian tandem of Nicole Pratt and Rennae Stubbs when the
match was abandoned due to rain.
Italy whitewashed Sweden 5-0 at the Tennis Club Milano, while 2001 runners-up
Spain reeled off all three matches Sunday to post a 4-1 victory over Hungary at
Almeria.
Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario crushed Zsofia Gubascsi 6-0 6-2.
Filling in for the injured Angeles Montolio, Magui Serna did not have much more
difficulty in defeating Rita Kuti Kis 6-3 6-1.
Virginia Ruano Pascual then teamed with Sanchez-Vicario to beat Gubacsi and
Aniko Kapros 7-5 6-2.
Tied entering the doubles match, Germany's duo of Barbara Rittner and Marlene
Weingartner knocked off Russia's team of Elena Dementieva and Elena Likhovtseva
7-6 (7-1) 6-2 to clinch a berth in the quarter-finals.
France won both singles matches against Argentina on Sunday on the clay courts
of the Buenos Aires Lawn Tennis Club to secure a place in the last eight.
Amelie Mauresmo defeated Paola Suarez 6-4 6-3 and Nathalie Dechy cruised past
Mariana Diaz-Oliva 6-2 6-3.
In the other first-round ties, Slovakia pulled out a 3-2 win against
Switzerland with a victory in the doubles match, while Croatia beat the Czech Republic by the same scoreline.
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