Hingis Cruises In Wimbledon Opener

On Monday, the No.12-seeded Hingis fought off the power game of Ukrainian teen Olga Savchuk with a variety of down-the-lines and drop shots, winning a tight eighth game to clinch the set, 6-2, having broken serve twice while holding hers easily each time.

"That last game took forever; we had ad, deuce, ad, deuce, like five times each," said Hingis, who kept herself busy with backgammon and checking the weather forecasts while waiting for the resumption of the match. "I was happy to close it out, to go away like that with the first set in my pocket. It was like 7:30pm I think they told us to leave. Then I grabbed something to eat real quick, went home."

Hingis continued to diffuse Savchuk's power game in an almost-identical set on Tuesday, finishing the first round victory with 26 winners to just nine errors.

"Especially on grass, you have to try to have a lot of variety in your shots. If you don't give the opponent the same shot twice, it definitely helps because the bounces and everything are already hard to get ready for, to control the ball.

"I think you can't ever teach someone to play on grass except trying to move in and just really have an offensive game."

Whilst Savchuk was making her Wimbledon debut, Hingis came into this year's event with a wealth of experience on the slick lawns. Her 19-6 record here is highlighted by a title run nearly a decade ago in 1997, when she became the youngest Open Era Wimbledon winner (16 years, nine months, five days). She is also a one-time semifinalist (1998) and a one-time quarterfinalist (2000).

"Once you get the rhythm, it's all back together again. I felt comfortable right away. I practiced mainly indoors. That's in a way my secret, how I succeed, how I've played well here. I don't think I'm the only one. When Andre [Agassi] won, he practiced indoors."

Although Court 2 is often referred to as the "Graveyard Court" due to all the marquee names that have fallen there, Hingis made it clear she preferred it to Court 1, where she had suffered first round losses as the top seed in two of her last three trips here, in 1999 (Jelena Dokic) and 2001 (Virginia Ruano Pascual).

"I love that court. I have had no bad experiences on that. I don't like Court 1, but I do like No.2. It's small and intimate. Great atmosphere. Like yesterday, when I walked on the court, you really feel the fans. They're very close to you. I've never lost on that court. They can have me play there all the time. I don't care."

In the second round, Hingis plays Tathiana Garbin, against whom she is 3-0, dropping a total of just seven games in three straight set routs. Lurking further on in the Swiss' draw, however, is a potential third round encounter with No.18 seed Ai Sugiyama, a fourth round against No.8 seed Patty Schnyder and a blockbuster quarterfinal with No.3-seeded Roland Garros winner Justine Henin-Hardenne.

In other first round matches Tuesday, two more former No.1s, Justine Henin-Hardenne and Kim Clijsters, also won through in straight sets.
-- WTA