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Men's Tennis
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Women's Tennis
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| Tuesday, March 13 |
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| World's top-ranked player gets Clijsters next Reuters | |||
INDIAN WELLS, Calif. -- Martina Hingis, ranked No. 1 in the world, breezed past Silvia Farina Elia on Tuesday, crushing the Italian
6-0, 6-1 to advance to the semifinals of the Tennis Masters
Series-Indian Wells tournament.
The only hiccup Hingis experienced in the 43-minute
demolition was dropping her serve in the first game of the
second set.
"I was very focused," said Hingis, who was runner-up to
Lindsay Davenport at Indian Wells last year.
"There are always things you can still get better, like
that first game in the second set I let down a little bit.
I just came back right away, so that was good."
According to Hingis, who has not won a Grand Slam trophy
since the 1999 Australian Open, her game has greatly improved
since this time last year.
"I think technically I made a big step in the last year,"
Hingis said. "My mom (Melanie Molitor) is a great coach, so she
helps me on that on a daily basis, which is great."
The victory sets up Hingis for a semifinal outing against
talented 14th seed Kim Clijsters of Belgium, who enjoyed smooth
sailing in a 6-2, 6-2 quarterfinal victory over Russian
wildcard recipient Elena Bovina earlier Tuesday.
"I think she's a very talented player, but still maybe
sometimes she's not as experienced as those who are in the top 10, like Venus and Serena (Williams)," Hingis said of
Clijsters.
"She's a fast learner. Already being in the semifinals
here, she has very good potential."
Hingis predicts Clijsters, who has won three titles in
smaller events, will soon be counted among the game's elite.
"There's not that many others I see in the top 10 in the
future," Hingis said.
As for Clijsters, who has yet to win a set in her three
previous meetings with Hingis, the opportunity to challenge the
Swiss sensation again will be welcomed.
"I think I have to play my best tennis to beat her,"
Clijsters said. "I really admire her and everything she does.
She's been No. 1 in the world for several years already
now.
"I've got nothing to lose against her," added Clijsters.
"Like I said, I'm just going to go out there and enjoy it."
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ALSO SEE Tuesday's results Indian Wells seeds Hobbled Safin knocked out in first round Hingis needs tie-break to reach Indian Wells quarters Davenport, Williams sisters advance at Indian Wells Serena cruises in pink, Dominkovic shocks Tauziat at Indian Wells | |
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