Hingis, the second seed, utilized her brilliant shotmaking to neutralize the strength of French teenager Amelie Mauresmo and close out a 6-2, 6-3, victory today at Melbourne Park.

In a classic ninth game of the second set that saw Mauresmo save six match points, Hingis finally sealed her fifth career Grand Slam title -- her first since her triumph here last year -- in just over an hour when Mauresmo netted a forehand volley.

"It couldn't be any better," said Hingis. "I played some great tennis out there. I made the more important points when they were really needed. She's (Mauresmo) got a big potential but this time, I was just more experienced and that helped me out a lot, definitely."

Hingis, who dropped only one set during the tournament, became the first female to win three straight Australian Open titles since Monica Seles from 1991-93 and also swept the singles and doubles titles here for the second straight year.

"I always do well in Australia," said Hingis. "This is my surface, my territory."

Competing in her first Grand Slam final, Mauresmo appeared nervous at the outset. Up 40-15 in the opening game of the match, she lost the next four points, including a double-fault on break point. After Hingis broke again for a 5-2 lead, she closed out the first set in the next game with her only ace of the match.

Mauresmo committed 20 unforced errors in the first set, was successful on only 38 percent of her first serves and won only 33 percent of points on her second serve.

A shaken Mauresmo was broken in the first game of the second set, but broke Hingis for the first time in the next game. Hingis rallied from 30-40 down in the fifth game to break Mauresmo, but Frenchwoman again broke back on a forehand winner.

Hingis recorded the fifth break of the set in the seventh game as Mauresmo hit a forehand return long. The turning point came in the next game as Hingis came back from, 0-40. Hingis got rifled a brilliant two-handed crosscourt backhand winner to get to game point, which she won with a forehand winner down the line off a running volley by Mauresmo.

"I think if I would have had the second set, maybe it would have changed the match," said Mauresmo. "Unfortunately, I couldn't do it."

At 3-5, Mauresmo hit a forehand return wide for match point, but saved it on a forehand winner. A backhand wide created a second match point, but Mauresmo saved that with a forehand return just inside the sideline. After another backhand return wide by Mauresmo, the French teenager fired an ace.

Continuing to win the long rallies, Hingis hit a sizzling forehand crosscourt winner to give her a fourth match point, but Mauresmo again avoided defeat with a backhand winner. Hingis kept up the pressure as a backhand crosscourt winner gave her a fifth match point. But she netted a backhand return. After Mauresmo netted a forehand for a sixth match point, a backhand volley winner saved her one last time.

"It's not the first time that she (Mauresmo) would come back after being match point down, so I was hoping it wouldn't happen against me too," said Hingis. "Some other girls might be more shaky, but she just went for it and played some good points there."

In the first all-teenage Australian Open final in 38 years, Hingis broke Mauresmo six times and committed only 20 unforced errors as she won her 21st straight match at Melbourne, dating to her 1997 triumph.

Mauresmo, whose big serve was instrumental in her semifinal win over top seed Lindsay Davenport, had her serve work against her today. She was successful on only 46 percent of her first serves and won just 29 percent of the points on her second. Although she held the advantage in winners, 31-19, she committed 41 unforced errors and converted only 2-of-8 break-point chances.

Despite winning her 20th career title, Hingis will remain No. 2 behind Davenport in Monday's rankings. The gap, however, will be reduced to less than 400 points.

Mauresmo, a former world junior champion, was the eighth unseeded female in the Open Era to reach a Grand Slam final and the first since Venus Williams lost to Hingis at the 1997 U.S. Open. She was trying to become the first unseeded female to win the Australian Open since Australia's Chris O'Neil defeated Betsy Nagelsen in 1978.

"She (Hingis) was a better player today," said Mauresmo. "She has more experience at this level of competition, so of course, she handles the pressure differently. I'm going to learn how to deal with a Grand Slam final. I think the next time, I'm going to deal with it differently."

Last year Mauresmo advanced to her first WTA Tour final at the German Open, becoming the first qualifier to reach a final at an event with prize money of at least $1 million. She also took Hingis to three sets twice last year, squandering a 7-6, 4-1 lead in a Fed Cup match and a 6-4 lead in the third round at the U.S. Open.

Mauresmo will jump from No. 29 to a career-high No. 18 in next week's rankings.

The fifth-seeded tandem of Patrick Rafter of Australia and Jonas Bjorkman of Sweden captured their first Grand Slam doubles title as a pair by outlasting top-seeded Mahesh Bhupathi and Leander Paes of India, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-7 (10-12), 6-4.

Bjorkman captured his second straight doubles title in Melbourne, after teaming with retired Dutchman Jacco Eltingh to win last year. Rafter, the two-time reigning U.S. Open singles champion, claimed his first Grand Slam doubles title.

"I was actually happier after I won (today) than when I won the second U.S. Open," said Rafter.

Bhupathi and Paes were appearing in their first final in nine Grand Slam tournaments. They are the first Indian duo to appear in a Grand Slam final.