biffon
01-06-2006, 11:56 PM
<H2>Hingis keeps doubters quiet with quarter-final success</H2>
Uploads/biffon/2006-01-06_165619_martina.jpg
<DIV id=byline>EVE FODENS </DIV>
MARTINA Hingis stepped up her comeback to professional tennis yesterday by making it through to the semi-finals of the Mondial Australian Women's Hardcourts tournament.
Silencing some of the critics who believe that the five-time grand slam champion will struggle to make it back into the upper echelons of the sport, Hingis enjoyed a 6-2, 4-6, 6-0 victory over Spain's Nuria Llagostera Vives on Queensland's Gold Coast.
The Swiss player quit the WTA Tour in 2002 because of nagging injuries to her left foot, ankle and heel, and she is using this tournament as a warm-up for the Australian Open later this month. And it's a case of so far, so good.
Hingis, a wildcard entrant, beat world No 62 Maria Venti Kabachi 6-2, 6-1 and No 35 Klara Koukalova 6-3, 6-2 in earlier rounds, but 50th-ranked Vives proved a tougher nut to crack yesterday. The Spaniard, who had overcome second-seed Francesca Schiavone in the second round on Wednesday, broke Hingis at 4-4 in the second set to send the match into a decider.
The players took a ten-minute break under the WTA's extreme-heat rule before the final set began and when it did get underway, Hingis dominated. Vives refused to give in, despite being 5-0 down, and she forced Hingis to five match points before the Swiss finally broke her resistance.
"I know I can last three sets now, especially mentally," said Hingis. "That was the biggest weapon I had today. I would've been pretty hard on myself if I had lost this match because I had it totally under control.
"I can only play match-by-match and get out there and compete," added Hingis in reference to comments from world No 1 Lindsay Davenport and No 2 Kim Clijsters that she may find it too hard to come back. "You always have those doubts but I can only show them the results. Either you belong to the top or you don't."
Hingis's hopes of winning the Gold Coast event were given a helping hand when top seed and world No 7 Patty Schnyder crashed out at the quarter-final stage. Czech Lucie Safarova beat Schnyder 6-4, 6-3 to set up a last-four clash with Russian Dinara Safina. It was her second big win of the week after beating sixth seed Ai Sugiyama of Japan in the first round.
Hingis will meet fourth-seeded Flavia Pennetta in the semis after the Italian overcame Hingis's doubles partner Tatiana Golovin of France 6-2, 5-7, 6-3.Edited by: biffon
Uploads/biffon/2006-01-06_165619_martina.jpg
<DIV id=byline>EVE FODENS </DIV>
MARTINA Hingis stepped up her comeback to professional tennis yesterday by making it through to the semi-finals of the Mondial Australian Women's Hardcourts tournament.
Silencing some of the critics who believe that the five-time grand slam champion will struggle to make it back into the upper echelons of the sport, Hingis enjoyed a 6-2, 4-6, 6-0 victory over Spain's Nuria Llagostera Vives on Queensland's Gold Coast.
The Swiss player quit the WTA Tour in 2002 because of nagging injuries to her left foot, ankle and heel, and she is using this tournament as a warm-up for the Australian Open later this month. And it's a case of so far, so good.
Hingis, a wildcard entrant, beat world No 62 Maria Venti Kabachi 6-2, 6-1 and No 35 Klara Koukalova 6-3, 6-2 in earlier rounds, but 50th-ranked Vives proved a tougher nut to crack yesterday. The Spaniard, who had overcome second-seed Francesca Schiavone in the second round on Wednesday, broke Hingis at 4-4 in the second set to send the match into a decider.
The players took a ten-minute break under the WTA's extreme-heat rule before the final set began and when it did get underway, Hingis dominated. Vives refused to give in, despite being 5-0 down, and she forced Hingis to five match points before the Swiss finally broke her resistance.
"I know I can last three sets now, especially mentally," said Hingis. "That was the biggest weapon I had today. I would've been pretty hard on myself if I had lost this match because I had it totally under control.
"I can only play match-by-match and get out there and compete," added Hingis in reference to comments from world No 1 Lindsay Davenport and No 2 Kim Clijsters that she may find it too hard to come back. "You always have those doubts but I can only show them the results. Either you belong to the top or you don't."
Hingis's hopes of winning the Gold Coast event were given a helping hand when top seed and world No 7 Patty Schnyder crashed out at the quarter-final stage. Czech Lucie Safarova beat Schnyder 6-4, 6-3 to set up a last-four clash with Russian Dinara Safina. It was her second big win of the week after beating sixth seed Ai Sugiyama of Japan in the first round.
Hingis will meet fourth-seeded Flavia Pennetta in the semis after the Italian overcame Hingis's doubles partner Tatiana Golovin of France 6-2, 5-7, 6-3.Edited by: biffon