Errors make difference

Seles gives away too many chances, falls to Hingis

Monica Seles made 40 unforced errors to Martina Hingis' 12. AP

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) -- Monica Seles was down 1-5 in the third set against Martina Hingis, but she wasn't about to give up.

After some patchy play, she switched on her game and pounded winners from the baseline, closing the gap to 4-5. The crowd at the Australian Open semifinal roared approval at the comeback.

But a relieved Hingis served out the match Thursday when Seles hit a forehand wide as she approached the net. It was one of a total of 40 unforced errors by Seles, four times as many as the Swiss, who won 4-6, 6-1, 6-4.

"I think Martina was just more consistent through the match," said Seles, who has won the Australian Grand Slam title four times. "I made too many unforced errors at key times.

"Whenever I had my chances, I kind of lost them. Against her, you can't afford to do that," said Seles, who was seeded eighth.

But Seles also dominated the match at times, hitting 46 winners compared to Hingis' 32.

"She's a very tough player at this point and I'm very happy to have beaten her today," said third-seeded Hingis, who advanced to her sixth straight Australian Open final.

Seles, winner of nine Grand Slams, was focused against Venus Williams in the quarterfinals, winning in three sets in her first victory over the defending Wimbledon and U.S. Open champion. Williams had held a 6-0 record.

The Yugoslav-born Seles, who became a U.S. citizen in 1994, moved back to the top of women's tennis after a two-year layoff following her 1993 stabbing by a deranged fan of rival Steffi Graf. But she has not dominated the game in the way she did before the attack.

However, Seles said she had been playing and practicing consistently since recovering from a right foot injury that forced her to withdraw from Wimbledon last year.

"As long as I can cut down my unforced errors, I can have good wins," said 28-year-old Seles.

Hingis' victory snapped Seles' 18-match winning streak, and the Swiss now holds a 13-4 record against the American. However, Seles had won their last two meetings, both in California last August.

Seles described her experience at this year's tournament in Melbourne as "mixed," though she hadn't advanced to the semifinals of the Grand Slam since 1999.

 

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