Hingis beats Williams to make Evert Cup final
Posted: Fri March 13, 1998 at 8:32 p.m. EST
Top seed Martina Hingis of Switzerland cruised to a 6-0, 7-6
(9-7) victory over fellow teenager and eighth-seeded American
Venus Williams tonight to advance to the final of the $1.25
million Evert Cup in Indian Wells, California.
Hingis, who avenged her first defeat of the season, will face
American Lindsay Davenport, who won Thursday when third seed
Steffi Graf of Germany retired with a left hamstring injury in
the third set.
In her first match of the year in January, Hingis lost to
Williams, 3-6, 6-4, 7-5, in the second round of the Sydney
International in Australia. Last year, Hingis crushed Williams,
6-0, 6-4, to win her first U.S. Open title. With today's win,
Hingis improved her lifetime mark against Williams to 4-1.
The 17-year-old Hingis, the world's top-ranked player, improved
to 14-2 in 1998. She finished last year with just five losses
and 12 singles titles but is playing in her first event since
losing to Davenport in Tokyo over a month ago. Hingis, who
displaced Graf for the No. 1 ranking last March, captured her
fourth Grand Slam title in two years at the Australian Open,
defeating Conchita Martinez in the final.
Williams, who lost for the third time in 19 matches this season,
was chasing her third final appearance of the year. She
captured her first professional singles title two weeks ago at
Oklahoma City and also was a finalist in Sydney. Williams, who
is also 17, is competing in her second full season on the WTA
Tour after turning pro in 1994.
Davenport advanced to her second final of 1998 when Graf dropped
out facing a 4-6, 6-4, 2-4 deficit. The 21-year-old Davenport,
ranked second, downed Hingis in the final of last month's Pan
Pacific Open in Tokyo. She lost to Martinez in the semifinals
of the Australian Open and also was a semifinalist at Oklahoma
City, losing to Williams. Davenport won six titles overall last
season, second only to Hingis, and will be gunning for her 15th
career singles title.
Graf suffered her latest setback in her comeback from knee
surgery last June. The former world No. 1 was playing in just
her second tournament since the operation.
First prize is $205,000.
© 1998 Sportsticker Enterprises, LP
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