ESPN.com - TENNIS - Hingis has back-to-back moment

 
Thursday, January 25
Hingis has back-to-back moment



MELBOURNE, Australia -- Top seed Martina Hingis will play Jennifer Capriati in the final of the Australian Open after she crushed Venus Williams 6-1, 6-1, handing Venus her worst loss ever in the process.

Venus Williams
Venus Williams committed 38 unforced errors against the too efficient Martina Hingis.
The victory against Venus Williams was a personal milestone for Hingis, who beat Venus's younger sister Serena in an epic three-set quarterfinal, but had never before beaten both Williams sisters in the same tournament.

"I think I'm in very good shape and I felt like I still had it in me," said Hingis, who hasn't won a Grand Slam singles title in two years.

"The more you make them play the more you're going to give them a chance to miss.

"I just tried to be very concentrated and play my own game."

With the semifinal victory, Hingis avenged losses last year at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open to eventual champion Venus Williams. Hingis committed only eight unforced errors to 38 for Williams.

"She was hitting a little bit wild today, that's for sure," Hingis said. "She hits the ball hard when it goes in."

Williams, who had won 19 consecutive Grand Slam matches, shrugged off the defeat with a smile.

"I just had an off day and she played her normal game, which is to be a great counterpuncher," Williams said. "I didn't seem to do the right things."

World No. 1 Hingis raced through the first set as third-seeded Venus handed her easy points with 22 unforced errors -- two thirds of the total points Hingis won in the set.

Hingis broke Venus's serve in the second game of the first set when the American pushed an easy forehand volley long.

Third seed Williams broke back in the next game but she handed Hingis the advantage again straight away, serving a double fault to set up another break point that the Swiss duly converted into a 3-1 lead. Hingis broke again in the sixth game before serving out the set.

The second set followed the same pattern, Hingis breaking Venus in the opening game when the American pushed a forehand long, one of many seemingly easy shots she sprayed out of court.

She broke again in the fifth game for a 4-1 lead and then again to close out the match.

Twelfth seed Capriati earlier upset defending champion Lindsay Davenport 6-3, 6-4 in the first semifinal.

Hingis will be playing in her fifth consecutive Australian Open final after winning the title from 1997-99 and losing to Davenport last year. Capriati will be playing in her first final at a Grand Slam tournament.

 




ALSO SEE
Sweet revenge: Williams sisters dispatch Hingis in doubles

Capriati upsets Davenport to reach Aussie final



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 Martina Hingis makes quick work of Venus Williams to advance to the Australian Open final.
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