Hingis Storms to Tokyo Title

A three-year absence from the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour doesn't seem to have stopped Martina Hingis from excelling at one of her favorite tournaments - on Sunday, the Swiss Miss claimed a record fifth Toray Pan Pacific Open trophy, punctuating her Tier I title with a 64 62 win over Ana Ivanovic.

Seeded No.2, Hingis was solid in all four of her matches in the Japanese capital, barely breaking a sweat in her first two rounds against Nicole Pratt and Samantha Stosur and dismissing Elena Dementieva, the No.3 seed and defending champion, 64 63 in the semis. She continued that form through to the end against Ivanovic, breaking the final open at 4-all and then never looking back.

"At 4-all, 15-love, I won 14 consecutive points," Hingis said. "You need to break down your opponent's game, and then it becomes more of a mental game. It's important to keep your concentration."

The early goings of the final were also something of a mental battle; Hingis was out of the blocks quickly, breaking and going ahead 2-0, but Ivanovic retaliated immediately, gaining the break back and evening things up, 2-all.

"The most important thing against Ana is to stay close with her in the beginning; I noticed in her past matches, she gets off to a very fast start, and after that, her confidence keeps building," Hingis added. "She really goes for her shots and will hit a lot of winners. We had some very close games at the start and I tried to just stay with her. After the first set, I gained more momentum."

"In the beginning, we were both playing well - it was high-quality tennis," said Ivanovic. "But at 4-all, my concentration dropped a bit, and she hardly made any mistakes. My legs felt heavier. It was hard to move, and I couldn't jump as well on my serve. At the end of the second set I felt better but it was too late. She played so well and was defending very well. She just played unbelievable today."

Hingis' win was a stark contrast to the pair's only prior encounter, a 62 63 win for Ivanovic in the final of another Tier I, the Rogers Cup in Montréal last summer.

"The difference between this and Montréal is I was more consistent in Montréal," Ivanovic added. "I really tried to enjoy myself out there and play my game - but today she was better. I hope we will have more matches. I learned a lot and this was a great experience. You can learn as much from your losses as your wins."

Ivanovic is now 2-1 lifetime in finals, claiming the Tier IV event in Canberra two years ago and the Tier I in Canada last August. She was particularly impressive in her last two rounds, ousting Top 10 compatriot Jelena Jankovic in three sets in the quarterfinals then advancing to the final when world No.1 Maria Sharapova retired with a hamstring injury down 61 01.

This was Hingis' record fifth Toray Pan Pacific Open trophy; she also earned the title in 1997, 1999, 2000 and 2002. What's more is that her 32-4 record includes runner-up finishes in 1998, 2001 and a year ago, the first year of her comeback, where she ousted Sharapova in the semis before losing, 62 60, to Dementieva.

The former world No.1 said this win was better than all the ones before it.

"It's twice as sweet," she said. "Last year, I wasn’t sure if I'd have another chance to win a tournament. In 1997, it used to be normal to win, but now I feel I really deserve it. I'm more proud now. It's more special."

Hingis separated herself from Lindsay Davenport as the winningest player in the event's history; also a former No.1, Davenport won this title four times herself.

World's top doubles team wins first title of 2007

The world's No.1-ranked doubles team, Lisa Raymond and Samantha Stosur, captured its 15th Sony Ericsson WTA Tour title Sunday, downing first-time pair Vania King and Rennae Stubbs, 76(6) 36 75, in the two-hour and 27-minute championship final. Raymond and Stosur also won here last year.

"This is my fourth title here," said Raymond, whose previous titles came in 2001 and 2002 - with Stubbs. "It's nice to come back and defend our title, especially after a disappointing run at the Australian Open. They certainly pushed us. They make a great team, and I'm interested to see how they will do if they play more.

"It's nice to end a long trip with a win."

"I love playing in Japan," said Stosur, who also made a run in the singles draw, reaching the quarterfinals. "It's such a nice tournament and I'm very excited to be able to defend our title. I look forward to coming back next year."

Despite losing in the final King and Stubbs leave Tokyo with fond memories; they took down No.2 seeds and two-time Grand Slam winners Yan Zi and Zheng Jie in the semifinals in a nail-biting, third set tie-break victory. (WTA)