And Hingis suggested that it is a new mental toughness that has made Capriati such a force in the game once more.

"Right now it's all that matters to her and maybe that's why she's playing so well," said Hingis.

"The mental part she's got so much better."

So after several years in the wilderness, Capriati will now be a strong favourite to win a second straight Grand Slam tournament when she faces Kim Clijsters in Saturday's final.

It's a far cry from a couple of years ago when Capriati was feeling her way back into the tennis scene.

"My goals back then were just to win a match - that was a difficult task," she admitted.

Confidence

"Since then I've started believing in my tennis much more and got a coach.

"Slowly it just got better and better and I gained more confidence."

Clijsters will be no pushover, but Hingis certainly felt that this semi-final would decide who won the title.

"I knew pretty much that this could have been the final," said Hingis. "If I had beaten her I think I would have had a great chance of winning the final."