The Pathmark Tennis Classic got what it wanted-Monica Seles and Jennifer Capriati in its final.
But not before Kathy Rinaldi almost spoiled it-and Seles` return to tennis after skipping Wimbledon because of shin splints.
Rinaldi extended Seles to three sets Saturday night before dropping a 6-2, 2-6, 6-1 decision to the world`s top-ranked player.
The win put Seles into Sunday`s final against Capriati, who defeated Peanut Louie-Harper 6-4, 6-4 Saturday afternoon.
Seles, who looked slow and tired at times in the second set, came out strong for the third set. She held serve in the opening game to restore her confidence and then used a combination of lobs, two-handed forehands and backhands to jump to a 5-0 lead.
Capriati, who lost last year`s final to Steffi Graf in three sets, struggled against the 30-year-old Harper, who is twice her age. There were times when their opening set was up for grabs, but it swung Capriati`s way on a bad call in the eighth game.
Harper was leading 4-3 and the game tied 30-30 when Capriati appeared to hit a ball long. Harper watched the ball bounce and didn`t bother to return it. But the call went against her and instead of Harper having break point, Capriati went ahead 40-30. Capriati held serve on the next point and won 16 of the next 17 points.
