Martina Hingis’ hopes of once again dominating women’s tennis received a reality check on Monday when world number eight Justine Henin-Hardenne dumped her out of the Sydney International first round in straight sets.
Former number one Henin-Hardenne barely raised a sweat as she disposed of her childhood idol 6-3, 6-3 in just over an hour.
Five-time grand slam winner Hingis admitted she was outclassed by Henin-Hardenne in her toughest test since beginning her comeback campaign this month following a three-year layoff.
”She was at a different level today,” a downcast Hingis told reporters after her defeat.
Admitting a return to the number one ranking was ”thinking too far ahead right now”, Hingis said Henin-Hardenne had showed her what she needed to do in order to mix it again with top 10 players.
”She was always a little faster, a little quicker, and the big points she won, and that’s the difference,” she said.
Hingis appeared to have lost some of her trademark speed covering the court and allowed Henin-Hardenne to dominate the match from the baseline.
Her serve also let her down as she committed five double-faults and failed to serve an ace, while Henin-Hardenne fired five, including two at crucial stages of the match.
Hingis, who had a relatively easy ride to the semifinals of the women’s hardcourt event in the Gold Coast last week, said she was not mentally focused for the clash with a top-flight opponent and was jittery when serving.
”There was nerves, there was the heat, when you’re playing a lot of rallies… there’s pressure,” she said.
Henin-Hardenne, defeated by Hingis in the pair’s previous two meetings in 2000, said her opponent played well considering her lack of match practice but that she would find major changes at the elite level of the women’s game.
”The game’s improved so much now,” she said. ”There’s a lot of power in women’s tennis — that’s the big difference from the time she played three years ago.”
French Open champion Henin-Hardenne, who is coming back from a lengthy break due to injury, said she was not fully satisfied with her performance.
”My game is not at the top right now, I need matches,” said Henin-Hardenne, who next plays Russian qualifier Vera Dushevina. – AFP
