Jennifer Capriati stunned Martina Hingis 6-4, 6-3 to win the Australian Open title today and complete one of the most remarkable comebacks in modern tennis.
The former teen prodigy, whose career almost ended in the mid-1990s in a much-publicised rebellion against authority, won her first grand slam title in a surprisingly one-sided final against top seed Hingis in just 63 minutes.
Hingis was unable to threaten Capriati's powerful serve and deep groundstrokes in her fifth consecutive appearance in the finals of the season-opening grand slam event.
Capriati raced to a 4-0 lead in the first set when she broke a tentative Hingis's first two service games. She sealed the first set in only 31 minutes, with her heavy and accurate groundstrokes keeping the world number one running to all corners of the court.
"I can't believe this is all happening. Who would have thought I would ever have made it here after so much has happened," Capriati said. "Dreams do come true. If you believe in yourself anything can happen," she added.
"Jennifer was a little bit too much for me today," a disappointed Hingis said afterwards. "It was a great effort. I made it five consecutive years and hopefully I can be back in the future."
It was also only Hingis's fourth loss in 42 matches in Melbourne stretching back to 1995. The Swiss won the Australian title from 1997-1999 before losing to Lindsay Davenport in last year's final.
For Capriati, the win will now push her to seven in the world rankings, her first time in the top 10 since January 1994 - just months before her career went off the rails.
In 1990, at the age of 14, Capriati had became the youngest grand slam semi-finalist in history when she reached the last four at the French Open, and she went on to become the youngest seed in grand slam history at Wimbledon the same year.
Her demise was equally rapid, however, as her teenage rebellion against authority brought arrests after minor drugs and shoplifting charges.
Capriati toyed fitfully with tennis until she made a real return in 1996. She worked her way back slowly to the top and won her first title in six years at Strasbourg in 1999. Now, the Floridian can claim the Australian Open among her 10 career titles. -Reuters