Capriati - Numero Uno

Capriati, 25, begins her reign as the new No. 1 in women's tennis today, completing a spectacular comeback from a string of personal problems that had put her career on hold for more than two years.

"It feels great. I haven't really digested it yet - I think I'll have to see it on paper first," Capriati said after it became clear that she would dislodge Martina Hingis from the No. 1 ranking.

Hingis lost the top spot when she sprained her right ankle and had to quit during a semifinal on Saturday against Lindsay Davenport at the Porsche Grand Prix.

Hingis needed to beat Davenport to stay at No. 1, which the 20-year-old Swiss player held for 209 weeks, the last 73 in a row.

By the time she became No. 1, Capriati was no longer in the tournament, having lost in the quarterfinals.

The complicated computer ranking system rewards consistency over a year and Hingis is losing points she earned last year when she won four events - including Filderstadt - in a strong end to the season.

With Hingis going through the worst slump of her career - 13 tournaments without a title, no Grand Slam since the 1999 Australian Open and perhaps facing an injury lay-off - and with Capriati having the best year of her career, the American looks likely to finish the year ranked No. 1.