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Nobody's favorite Top seed Hingis an afterthought at U.S. Open
NEW YORK (Reuters) -- For a 202nd week Martina Hingis is top of the women's tennis rankings. But the Swiss has not won a Grand Slam title in nearly three years and hasn't won a tournament of any kind since February. The 20-year-old will enter next week's U.S. Open as the top seed but few consider her one of the favorites for the crown. "I would definitely favor the big hitters -- the Williams sisters, Lindsay Davenport, Jennifer Capriati and Monica Seles over Hingis," ESPN analyst and former top-five player Mary Joe Fernandez told Reuters. "A lot of things have to fall into place for Martina to win. Her confidence is a little low, the U.S. Open courts are quick and the other girls hit so much harder. "I wouldn't completely count her out, but I would be surprised if she won. She just can't match those girls in power and athleticism." Former U.S. Open champion Tracy Austin doesn't put Hingis in her list of favorites either. "My top three are Venus, Lindsay and Jennifer," Austin told Reuters. "Martina has to be very frustrated with the way things are going for her right now." Regarded by many as a great in the making after she won her first Slam at age 16 in 1997, the Swiss is now struggling to find a way to deal with the game's elite power brokers. This year, she was outslugged by Jennifer Capriati in the Australian Open final and the French Open semifinals. Then, saddled with a bad back, she was stunned in the first round of Wimbledon by Virginia Ruano-Pascual. She is mired in her longest title drought in five years. "How would you feel? Probably not that great," said Hingis of her slump. "As a number one, you would always expect to do more." At Wimbledon, Hingis complained of being mentally worn down with the daily grind of tour life. While she is only 20 years old, she has played a very demanding schedule in her six and a half years on tour. In order to maintain the number one ranking, Hingis has rarely taken off more than a month, choosing instead to compete in nearly every notable and semi-notable tournament on the calendar. But after her loss to Ruano-Pascual, Hingis took a five-week break, briefly fleeing to a mountain resort in Austria. She returned to action in early August and suffered back-to-back losses to Monica Seles in San Diego and Manhattan Beach -- that against a player whom she had led 12-2 entering the summer hardcourt season. While she is one of the tour's most intelligent players, the 5-foot-7 Hingis is saddled with a relatively weak forehand and a powderpuff second serve, allowing bigger and stronger opponents to overpower her. "Her first and second serve are her biggest weaknesses," Fernandez said. "She needs to go for it more, because it is just sitting there to pounce on." Hingis, who is about 500 points ahead of second-ranked Capriati but could lose the top spot at the U.S. Open, said: "It would be a big help if I could grow an inch or two, but I can't." She admitted that her second serve is "definitely something that I have to work on." Austin agrees. "That serve is not going to get it done. Its not going to win her tournaments," she said. "Martina's not going to beat three tough players with a first serve that averages 85 miles per hour and a second serve in the 70s." Some believe that the only way Hingis can regain her edge is to come to the net more and make better use her deft volley. "She has to mix it up and use every facet of her game," Fernandez said of Hingis, who won the 1997 U.S. Open title but fell in a classic three-set semifinal last year to eventual champion Venus Williams. Hingis, who was won eight Grand Slam doubles titles, is one of the tour's best volleyers and could use more frequent forays to the net as a way to shorten points. "It's going to be hard," Hingis said. "It's not my mentality. I have to overcome myself to really get that way." Going into the Open Hingis, whose last major title came at the 1999 Australian Open, will have only played six singles matches in competition since Wimbledon. "Me, I'm never satisfied. I would love to win another tournament, maybe a Grand Slam, too," said Hingis.
Copyright 2003 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. |
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