The Hindu : Hantuchova wins

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Mar 18, 2002

Sport

Sport - Tennis

Hantuchova wins

INDIAN WELLS March 17 . Teenager Daniela Hantuchova, playing in her first tour singles final, overpowered Martina Hingis 6-3, 6-4 on Saturday to win the Pacific Life Open and $ 332,000.

Her hard, accurate groundstrokes keeping Hingis scurrying side-to-side throughout the match, the 18-year-old Slovak broke Hingis' service six times on her way to the top prize.

With the dominant victory over the second-seeded Hingis, the 18th-seeded Hantuchova became the lowest seed to win a women's tier I event since 1980.

Swirling wind that fanned sand into the air during the men's semifinals earlier in the day had subsided somewhat by the time the women's championship match began in the late afternoon.

Lleyton Hewitt beat Pete Sampras 6-2, 6-4, and Tim Henman defeated Todd Martin 6-3, 6-3 to move into the championship match.

Hantuchova's backhand was particularly deadly against Hingis, as she hit 20 backhand winners to just five by the Swiss star who has won 40 career titles. Hantuchova hit 33 winners overall to Hingis' 16.

On one point early in the second set, after racing from side to side to chase down shots, Hingis watched helplessly as Hantuchova rocketed a forehand winner just inside the right sideline. Hingis raised both arms in apparent frustration.

The results:

Men's singles (semifinals): Lleyton Hewitt bt Pete Sampras 6-2, 6-4; Tim Henman bt Todd Martin 6-3, 6-3.

Women's singles (final): Daniela Hantuchova bt Martina Hingis 6- 3, 6-4.

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