This week at the Sydney International, the inevitable happened as Hingis, unranked and unseeded, drew the reigning
Roland Garros champion Justin Henin-Hardenne as her round one opponent in Sydney, Australia. After 66 minutes the match
was over and Hingis had lost 6-3, 6-3 in round one of a tournament she had previously won three times. Henin-Hardenne by
reports was a step faster and stronger than Hingis and attacked Hingis' serve from the start of the match. Henin-Hardenne
broke Hingis' serve in the opening game and four times in the match. However Hingis remained positive, "I chose to come to
know where I'm at. I know what I'm aiming for now. It's good to know how I played, how the match went. She was at a
different level today. I have to be patient. It just takes a lot of tournaments, a lot of matches to prepare."
Known for her sterling selection of spins and thoughtful, craftmanship around the court, Martina Hingis will need to
reveal some added power in order to reclaim her top spot with the game's elite players. Henin-Hardenne, who at five-foot-six
is more or less the same size as Hingis, has shown she can counter the power game of today's players. But the question
remains, can Martina? Hingis gets another shot at it next week at the Australian Open in Melbourne, Australia where for the
first time in years all of the top 10 WTA Tour players are entered.
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Former tennis teen queen Martina Hingis of Switzerland returned to
professional tennis last week at Gold Coast, Australia and suffered a 1-6, 7-6 (7-2), 6-2 semifinal loss to Italy's Flavia
Pennetta after three victories. Foot injuries forced the five time grand slam titlist out of the game in 2002, but last week it was
a hip strain which hindered Hingis.