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Hingis advances in Italian Open
Former champions Venus Williams and Martina Hingis have won their first-round matches at the Italian Open.
- Indo-Asian News Service
- Updated: February 25, 2007 10:40 AM IST
Read Time:2 min
Rome: Former champions Venus Williams and Martina Hingis have won their first-round matches at the Italian Open. Williams, the 1999 winner, beat Czech qualifier Zuzana Ondraskova 6-3, 6-2. Hingis, the 1998 winner, eliminated Italian qualifier Sara Errani 6-0, 6-1. Former French Open champion Anastasia Myskina and 12th-seeded Nicole Vaidisova were also winners. However, no. 14 Elena Likhovtseva was upset by Serbia's Jelena Jankovic 6-4, 6-3. Playing in only her third event of the year, Williams came off a quarterfinal run in Warsaw with a less-than-convincing start in Rome. She broke six times, lost three of her own service games, and committed five double faults. She'll face Czech Republic's Lucie Safarova, who won the Gold Coast title this year. Hingis also double-faulted five times but Errani converted only one of six break points and Hingis was through in 55 minutes. Hingis was on the brink of cracking the top 20 since she came out of retirement in January. "There are still some aches and pains, but I am feeling stronger and lasting longer,'' she said. Vaidisova, the 17-year-old Czech, will play Hingis next after defeating Finland's Emma Laine 5-7, 6-1, 6-3. No. 10-seed Myskina survived Belarus qualifier Victoria Azarenka 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (6). Azarenka served for the match at 5-4 in the final set and Myskina held her nerve to win it in the tiebreaker. Top-seeded Kim Clijsters, who received a first-round bye, can reclaim the No. 1 ranking if she wins her second Rome title. (AP)
Topics mentioned in this article
Tennis Martina Hingis
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