WIMBLEDON, England -- Top-ranked Martina Hingis, hampered by an aching back, was eliminated on Wimbledon's opening day Monday by an opponent ranked 83rd in the world.

	Opening Match Eliminations
	Year	Players and score
	1962	Margaret Smith lost to Billie Jean Moffitt, 1-6, 6-3, 7-5
	1994	Steffi Graf lost to Lori McNeil, 7-5, 7-6 (5)
	1999	Martina Hingis lost to Jelena Dokic, 6-2, 6-0
	2001	Martina Hingis lost to Virginia Ruano Pascual, 6-4, 6-2

Virginia Ruano Pascual of Spain stunned Hingis 6-4, 6-2 on an unusually hot London afternoon as fans, sensing the huge upset, cheered more loudly as the match reached its climax.

When her last forehand went into the net in the final game, Hingis was an opening-round loser as the tournament's top-seeded player for the second time in three years.

"There are no excuses whether you're injured or not. If you step out there you should play," said Hingis, who complained of tendinitis in her lower back. "I was just afraid to move."

Hingis made it to last year's quarterfinals before losing to Venus Williams, the eventual champion.

But the form that she showed in reaching the semifinals in her past three tournaments was rarely in evidence. As her match progressed, her little-known opponent seemed to gain energy.

"I'm still dreaming now. It's unbelievable," Ruano said. "I feel very comfortable today out on the court."

Hingis said she first felt the back problem about a week ago and had acupuncture treatment. But as late as Saturday, she said, she wasn't sure she'd compete.

"I knew I had a chance against Virginia. I mean, if I thought I had to play some other player, like I said, I wouldn't even have come here," Hingis said. "I wasn't playing well, but she just hit great shots."

Ruano lost both her previous matches against Hingis but was in control despite being an overwhelming underdog. She saw no sign that Hingis was hurt.

"She ran on the court and she served and she did everything so I don't know she was injured," Ruano said. "If she says she was injured I'm sorry for her."

The loss added to Hingis' unhappy history in Grand Slam events. After winning the 1999 Australian Open, she's been seeded first in the 10 Grand Slam events since then. And she hasn't won any of them.

Her departure opens the top part of the bracket for Jennifer Capriati's bid to win the Grand Slam. Capriati's comeback plowed ahead as she overcame a slow start to beat Maria Alejandra Vento of Venezuela 6-3, 6-2.

Capriati, winner of the Australian and French opens, won 11 of the last 13 games to beat Maria Alejandra Vento of Venezuela 6-3, 6-2.

Capriati trailed Vento 3-1, then won the next nine games. She led 5-1 and was ahead 0-30 but lost the seventh game. She finished the last game with an ace.

	Serena Williams dominated Rita Kuti Kis 6-1, 6-0 during their first-round match on the opening day at Wimbledon on Monday.

Serena Williams, who needed just 40 minutes to beat lefty Rita Kuti Kis, 6-1, 6-0, the Hungarian's third consecutive opening-round exit from Wimbledon.

On Tuesday, defending champion Venus Williams plays on Centre Court against unseeded Shinobu Asagoe of Japan.

Serena Williams started a sunny Wimbledon with a speedy victory, beginning what could be another successful two-week family trip. Her sister Venus, seeded second, should have a similarly brief opening exercise.

"Everyone deserves a break now and then," Serena said.

Her stroll on the grass court was spoiled only by Kuti Kis' victory in the sixth game of the first set, in which Serena had three break points. Serena then held serve to win that set, starting a seven-game roll that got her into the second round.

"I'm a kind of insatiable person, so I've never had a perfect match," she said. "I think I lost a little focus out there. I started thinking of different things. My eyes started wandering."

Monday's temperature hovered in the upper 70s as Serena took the court at high noon and didn't break much of a sweat.

"This is like heaven compared to what it's like back home in Florida," she said.

London's unusually dry stretch reached its ninth day as the two-week tournament, often plagued by rain, began. More traditional weather was expected Tuesday: isolated showers with possible late thunderstorms.

That's when Venus will show if her nearly monthlong layoff left her rested or rusty. It didn't bother Serena, who hadn't played since the French Open either.

"I'm not concerned at all," Serena said, "I definitely feel in form, not only physically but mostly mentally."

Unlike Williams, Hingis never had the luxury of a big lead, although she did not go without a fight.

Down 5-1 in the second set, Hingis won an 11-point game after squandering a 30-0 lead, holding the advantage three times but never facing match point.

That would change in the last game, as Hingis failed to win a point against Ruano's serve.

"Once you lose the first set and you're losing 3-0, it doesn't look very rosy," Hingis said.

When the match ended, Ruano smiled broadly and raised both arms to the crowd. Hingis sat down quietly, put on a white jacket and left the court with her racket bag slung over her right shoulder.

"Sometimes you just need some time to recover your body and soul and now I have some time to do it," she said.

Ruano played patiently, while Hingis was largely unsuccessful as she tried to come to the net. Hingis did most of the running but never caught up to Ruano.

In 1999, Hingis lost to Jelena Dokic 6-2, 6-0 at Wimbledon. Dokic, now one of the top players on the women's tour, was ranked 129th at the time.

"I know that my backhand, my slice, is good for this surface, my forehand, too," Ruano said. "I don't serve and volley but I'm good on the baseline so I know I can play here."