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Hingis makes winning start in Zurich

October 17, 2006 10:09 IST
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Switzerland's Martina Hingis made a triumphant return to her home-town tournament on Monday when she defeated Germany's Anna-Lena Groenefeld 6-0, 7-5 to reach the second round of the Zurich Open.

It was the first time Hingis has played the event since claiming the title in 2000 with victory over Lindsay Davenport, after twice finishing as runner-up.

Hingis is a contender for the eight-player field at the season-ending WTA Championship to be held in Madrid in two weeks. She is in eighth position, with the greatest threat to her place coming from fellow-Swiss Patty Schnyder.

Groenefeld played with her left leg tightly strapped above the knee and Hingis needed to do little but wait for the unforced errors.

The match became a contest in the second set, but Hingis always retained the advantage, holding a break point at 4-3 and two match points at 5-4, before Groenefeld sent a crosscourt forehand wide at 6-5.

Hingis, looking back on her comeback year with satisfaction, said: "If somebody had asked me if I was going to be in the top 10 at the end of the year I'd have thanked them with a hand kiss."

The Swiss added: "Just playing great matches against the top five players in general was a great achievement for me. I felt I still had it in me and I proved it."

In the only other match on the opening day of the tournament, Slovenia's Katarina Srebotnik earned a second round meeting with fourth-seeded Russian Elena Dementieva with a 6-3, 7-5 win over Mary Pierce of France.

French world number one Amelie Mauresmo, the top seed, has a first round bye before playing Australia's Samantha Stosur or a qualifier.

Russia's Maria Sharapova, who withdrew from her quarter-final in Moscow last week with a right foot injury and also has a bye, will face Israel's Shahar Peer or wild card Alicia Molik of Australia in the second round.

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Source: REUTERS
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