Tennis: Crafty Martina on form for impressive comeback

Martina Hingis

It seemed barely possible at first but now talk is turning to Martina Hingis and whether the comeback kid can go all the way at the Australian tennis open.

Hingis breezed through another match yesterday, looking as if she'd never been away from international tennis. She completely controlled Czech Iveta Benesova, winning 6-4, 6-1 - Benesova the player who saw off a fit-looking Mary Pierce in the second round. The rejuvenated Swiss needed only 66 minutes to dismiss her unseeded opponent on a scorching hot Rod Laver Arena.

It was another significant step in her return to tennis after injury had forced her into an early retirement four years ago. She needed only 52 minutes to dispose of Finland's Emma Laine in the previous round, 6-1, 6-1.

Still only 25, Hingis' ranking of 349 is no reflection of her ability. Pre-tournament thinking predicted that Hingis would falter after so long out of the game, especially against the power hitters, whose ground strokes and serves gave her difficulty before she retired.

However, Hingis has arrived in Melbourne superbly fit and with all her familiar court-craft and shot selection in fine working order, leading world No 1 Lindsay Davenport to comment admiringly that the Swiss would find a way to combat the power hitters.

Hingis has still to meet the 'big bangers' but Benesova, 22, had a strong backhand and a big serve and took an early 3-1 lead after breaking Hingis' serve in the fourth game.

Hingis, three times a champion at Melbourne, broke back immediately and then stamped her authority on the match in a clinical display.

In any case, there aren't many 'big bangers' left. Hingis is now benefiting from a draw which, with Pierce and Serena Williams now out of the competition (as is sister Venus), offers her a relatively easy ride to the quarter-finals. There are no seeds left in Hingis' section of the draw.

In the quarters, she is drawn to meet the hard-hitting Kim Clijsters. The Belgian has been battling with a hip and back injury but came back strongly to crush Italy's Roberta Vinci 6-1 6-2 last night and show that, even on painkillers, she will be a major hurdle for Hingis.

Hingis, a beaten finalist on her last Melbourne appearance in 2002, will play either Australian Samantha Stosur or Austrian Sybille Bammer next. On this form, Hingis would be highly favoured to continue one of tennis' most remarkable comeback tales.

Mauresmo, who finished runner-up to Hingis in the 1999 final, had a comparatively quiet time on a scorching hot day that forced tournament organisers to invoke their extreme heat policy. Officials closed the roof on the main stadiums and postponed matches on the outside courts after Michaella Krajicek retired from her match against Mauresmo with heat stress.

The Dutch teenager lost the first set 6-2 to third seed Mauresmo and decided not to continue after calling for assistance.

"I felt like I was going to throw up," Krajicek said. "I couldn't even see the ball because my eyes were burning very much. I couldn't play on."

Mauresmo, runner-up to Hingis in the 1999 final, will play Czech Nicole Vaidisova in the final 16, while 12th seed Anastasia Myskina continued the Russian charge when she brushed aside Swede Sofia Arvidsson 6-3 6-1. Myskina is the fifth Russian woman to reach the fourth round, where she will play seventh seed Patty Schnyder of Switzerland.

In the men's event, Argentine sixth seed Guillermo Coria lost 6-2, 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 to France's Sebastien Grosjean. The 25th-seed Grosjean now faces compatriot Paul-Henri Mathieu in the fourth round. Juan Ignacio Chela followed up his win over Lleyton Hewitt with a 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 victory over Kristof Vliegen to join fellow Argentine David Nalbandian in the last 16. Slovakia's Dominik Hrbaty lived up to his ironman reputation, winning his third straight five-set match 1-6, 6-4, 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 over Russia's Igor Andreev.

- NZPA