Hingis Beats Temps, Benesova at Australian Open

Temperatures over 100 degrees led to difficulties for a number of players Saturday at the Australian Open, but not for the back-from-retirement Martina Hingis whose superior fitness and zeal for the game were apparent in a 6-4, 6-1 win over Czech Iveta Benesova.

The extreme temperature brought about the implementation of the heat policy in Melbourne, with the stadium roof closed and outer-court matches postponed until the afternoon when the conditions were reassessed.

"Towards the end of the second set you could feel the heat, but thank God she felt it more than I did," Hingis said. "I was down 3-1 today, down a break. Thankfully, I broke right back. Kind of wore her out. That felt really good. I don't think I played my best tennis today. But, as long as you win, it's always good. Always room to improve for the next match."

Benesova, facing Hingis for the first time, found herself on the business end of the Swiss merry-go-round one too many times, with all the running taking its toll in the second set.

"I was pretty happy with the beginning of the match," said Benesova, who was coming off her win over No. 5-ranked Mary Pierce. "I was 4-3 up. That game cost me a lot of energy, a lot of power. Was too hot today, and I felt so weak afterwards. I missed four returns in that next game and made three double faults on my serve. So it was a pity that I lost the first set like this. Then the second set, she made me feel so uncomfortable because she's very clever, very smart player. She knows exactly where to put the ball."

Another of the heat victims Saturday was Dutch teen Michaella Krajicek, who retired after losing the first set 6-2 to No. 3 seed Amelie Mauresmo, suffering heat exhaustion.

"I wasn't feeling my stomach, I felt like I was going to throw up," Krajicek said. "It's of course very disappointing to end the Australian Open like this, but I'm very happy how I played in Perth and Hobart. It's a very good start to the year. Hopefully I will recover fast and have great tournaments after this."

Other seeds into the fourth round Saturday with straight-set victories were (2) Kim Clijsters (d. Vinci), (7) Patty Schnyder (d. Nakamura), (12) Anastasia Myskina (d. Arvidsson), (15) Francesca Schiavone (d. Sanchez Lorenzo 0-and-0), and (16) Nicole Vaidisova (d. (20) Pennetta).

"You play bad, you drop. You play good, you go up," said Myskina after another erratic display that nonetheless saw the Russian advance. "If I can fight and be like, I don't know, calm on the court, then I can be Top 10 again. I'm not good enough for Top 10 right now. Definite. That's why I'm not there."

Clijsters says her hip and back are still bothering her but the injuries have lessened.

"I'm still not moving like I normally can, but a lot better," Clijsters said. "I just have to do a lot of treatment and everything and that's what I'm doing. I'm not going to hit tomorrow and just keep my routine going so that I'm fresh when I have to be out there. That's why I was wearing my tape today because I felt in my previous match, with the serve, I was just compensating my back a little bit. It started to hurt my left leg, my left hamstring, that's why it's taped today."

Aussie Sam Stosur also outlasted Austria's Sybille Bammer 6-3 in the third in the only all-unseeded affair on the day.

Scheduled for Sunday in Melbourne amidst temperatures predicted to top 110 degrees are (1) Davenport vs. (14) Kuznetsova, (4) Sharapova vs. (17) Hantuchova, (6) Petrova vs. Vesnina in an all-Russian, and (8) Henin-Hardenne vs. Ruano Pascual.