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Swiss breeze Top seed Hingis firing on all cylinders
MELBOURNE (Reuters) -- World No. 1 Martina Hingis raced into the third round of the Australian Open on Thursday then kept a date with partner Monica Seles to beat the defending doubles champions at the season-opening grand slam. Hingis, the top seed and three times the Australian Open champion, needed just 40 minutes to breeze past Belgium's Els Callens 6-1 6-0 in their women's singles second round match. But far from being able to take it easy afterwards, the Swiss star found herself heading out for an opening round doubles match with Seles in double-quick time. The new combination, which came together at the Sydney international last week after Hingis split with regular partner Anna Kournikova, beat top seeds Lisa Raymond of the United States and Australia's Rennae Stubbs 7-6 6-3. Hingis admitted feeling rushed as she headed out to court one with Seles after her center court singles romp. "They were like 'okay, the court's been empty for half an hour, they're waiting for you'," Hingis told reporters. "I was like okay, okay. Definitely I did not take enough time (between matches), that's why I didn't play so well in the beginning." Still, Hingis and Seles are enjoying their new partnership. "It's new energy," Hingis said. "Someone who's so professional like Monica, it is always a thrill to go out there with because you know she's a fighter, she never gives up." Hingis said they were still getting used to each other's style. "We definitely proved that we can play. But we haven't had that much time to practice yet and just work on the doubles game," she said. "We both played a little bit of our singles out there. We didn't play our best today, that's for sure." Against Callens, Hingis started in top gear and hardly eased back on the throttle as she continued her strong start to the year after taking the singles title in Sydney. Although she won a tour-high nine titles last year, the Swiss top seed arrived at the Australian Open without a grand slam singles title success since her third win here in 1999. But victories against Serena Williams and Lindsay Davenport in Sydney have helped boost her hopes of ending the drought. "It's a motivation, it shows that so many girls are playing so well right now," said Hingis, runner-up to Davenport at last year's Australian Open. Against Callens, Hingis showed she was getting more used to coming to the net, a point her Belgian opponent said would help the top seed against her rivals' power play in the tournament. "That's part of my game I was working on," Hingis said. "I definitely feel much more comfortable going up front and playing some volleys." Hingis next faces France's Virginie Razzano, who beat Anne Kremer of Luxembourg.
Copyright 2003 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. |
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