Capriati Hangs On to Stay in WTA Championships Race, Sharapova Wins

All three seeds in action won Wednesday at the WTA stop in Philadelphia in (3) Maria "Cell Phone Mannequin" Sharapova (d. Kostanic, who retired in the third with an ab strain), (4) Jennifer Capriati (d. American countrywoman Shaughnessy after dropping the first set), and hot-handed Aussie (8) Alicia Molik (d. Weingartner).

For Capriati the win meant holding on to her chance to qualify for the WTA Championships, needing to at least reach the final.

"It's very close," said Capriati on staying in the running for the year-end championships. "I don't want to just give it away so I am working my hardest."

In the only all-unseeded match, France's Nathalie Dechy defeated Slovak Tina Pisnik, baking a bagel in the second set.

On court Thursday are Petrova vs. Amy "Joltin' Joe" Frazier, Vera "The Crying Game" Zvonareva vs. Dechy, Mauresmo vs. Benesova, Neffa-de los Rios vs. Myskina, Jankovic vs. Molik, and Fedak vs. Venus.