The 28-year-old, who made history when she became the youngest woman to reach the semifinals of a Grand Slam here back in 1990 aged 14, takes on Russian Anastasia Myskina in a bid for her second French Open title.

The French Open means a lot to Capriati, who after suffering from teenage burnout returned to win one of her three Grand Slam titles here in 2001.

But injuries over the past year including a back problem which forced her out of the Australian Open have hampered the New Yorker who has won just one WTA title since successfully defending her Australian Open title in 2002.

She desperately wants to win and her battling spirit drove her to her second straight win over long-time nemesis Serena Williams in the quarterfinals, after failing to win a single match against Williams in three years.