By Linda Pearce
First published in The Age on February 1, 1998
Hingis now the great defender
THIS was a different Martina Hingis. This was not the 16-year-old who trounced Mary Pierce in last year’s Australian Open final to become the youngest grand slam singles winner this century, and then dashed over to share an on-court embrace with her mother, Melanie Molitor.
Martina Hingis with the Australian Open women’s trophy.Credit:Ray Kennedy
Yesterday’s Martina Hingis was tired and sweaty when Conchita Martinez netted a backhand to end at 6-3, 6-3 the 86-minute women’s final. Eventually, she wandered over to greet her family and friends, including doubles partner Mirjana Lucic. Mum had to settle for dangling over the wall, having promised not to jump down on court this year. And Martina seemed to lack the energy to climb up.
Martina Hingis with the trophy.Credit:Vince Caligiuri
Put the restrained celebration down to a combination of factors. It was a warm day, Hingis was bothered by a head cold and the match had been an at-times tedious baseline affair that had tried her patience. It was also her fourth major and, in her victory speech, the 17-year-old spoke of the extra burden that comes with defending titles rather than merely winning them.
But, for all that, it was the most satisfying of her grand slams so far. “I was just so happy, as probably never before,” Hingis said. “I haven’t really showed it, but this tournament just meant so much to me.”
That was largely because of how different it was in 1997, when Hingis had continued her good Perth and Sydney lead-up form to claim a title even her mother said she had not expected so soon. This year the young Swiss missed Perth, lost first-up in Sydney and struggled here early. She was there to be taken. Perhaps only Venus Williams would have been capable. Martinez was not.
“(It was) a lot harder than last year because, as I said on the court already, that there were so many different expectations of me. Pressure, especially from myself, that I really want to defend the title. And I had a lot harder draw this time. It wasn’t very easy for me to get through.
Hingis during play at the Australian Open.Credit:Angela Wylie
“Actually, everybody told me this year is going to be harder for me, you know, to defend everything. But I’m just very happy I could do it the first time, and at a grand slam, and we will see how it’s going to go in the future. But I’m kind of proud of myself, what I did today, (and) in these one or two weeks.”
A five-minute opening game, in which the Hingis serve was broken for one of only two times, set the tone for a match in which just 20 of the 126 points were won at the net. Martinez tried to slow things down, taking her time, mixing her slice and topspin, and tossing up moonballs.
At times the tactic worked. But the Spaniard, playing in her first grand slam final since winning at Wimbledon in 1994, made too many errors, particularly on the forehand side, to capitalise on the game and break-point opportunities when they came.
One chance arrived early in the second set. Hingis was serving to level at 2-2 having previously played a loose service game lowlighted by an ill-advised drop shot on breakpoint. A 35-stroke rally, the best of the day, was won by Hingis, who leaned on her racquet for some time afterwards trying to regain her breath. She succeeded. Martinez would have no more such chances.
Indeed, after that, it was as if Hingis decided she had taken enough of this maddening obstruction to her bid to become the youngest player of the Open era to defend a slam. Time to wrap it up. And 22 minutes later it was all over.
“I think she was smart enough to play me good and to play one more ball than me,” said Martinez, who took pre-match anti-inflammatories for a groin injury. “I think my tactic was right, but I thought that I could step in a little bit more and be more aggressive. I was a little passive today.”
It was a dangerous, even fatal, move against Hingis, who planned to spend her victory night at a private screening of the movie ‘Titanic’. Further along, her idea is to rest more between tournaments to avoid the fatigue that proved costly towards the end of a tennis year that Martinez was adamant yesterday runs far too long.
So now to the French. Last year, underprepared after the knee surgery required by a horse riding fall, Hingis’ loss in the final to Iva Majoli was the one missing link in the grand slam chain.
“Oh, I definitely want to win that one,” said the two-time Australian champion, who today departs for Tokyo. “And I’m going to be ready for it.”
