Melbourne, Australia — Three-time champion Martina Hingis beat Monica Seles 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 today to advanced to her sixth straight Australian Open final.
Hingis overcame Seles' power with her agility, often grunting in an effort to reach Seles' blasts, and sometimes screeching when she came up short.
Hingis will face the winner of the semifinal between defending champion Jennifer Capriati and fourth-seeded Kim Clijsters.
"I believe in it again now, and it's a great feeling," said Hingis, whose most recent Grand Slam title was the 1999 Australian Open.
Seles, a four-time Australian winner, used her power to prevail in the first set. She had to save two break points in a game that lasted 10 minutes and included five deuces for 3-1, and save another two for 4-4. She broke Hingis in the first and ninth games, and was broken in the sixth.
For the rest of the match, Hingis relied on her volley, waiting for Seles to miss or for an opportunity to put the ball away herself.
In the men's competition, Tommy Haas advanced to the semifinals, coming back in one match after another. That might not be so easy against his next opponent, Marat Safin.
Haas beat former No. 1 Marcelo Rios 7-6 (2), 6-4, 6-7 (2), 7-6 (5) in a quarterfinal Wednesday night. He saved break points in five early games and rallied from one service break down in two sets.
In two previous rounds, Haas rebounded from 2-1 deficits in sets to beat Todd Martin and 11th-seeded Roger Federer.
No comments
Commenting is turned off for this story.