With her straight-sets victory over the third-seeded Novotna, Hingis took back the No. 1 spot she lost to American Lindsay Davenport in October. Davenport fell to seventh seed Amanda Coetzer of South Africa in Friday's quarterfinals.

The 18-year-old Hingis lost her top ranking last year when she embarked on a six-month title drought and Davenport went on a tear, winning six titles, including the U.S. Open.

But Hingis, seeded second, put herself back on track in December, winning the year-ending Chase Championships. Last week, she claimed her third straight Australian Open championship.

``I knew Lindsay and I were close, but I did not know if I won today I would overtake her,'' said Hingis, who first held the top spot in March 31, 1997. ``It feels great, hopefully I can stay longer than I did last time. Maybe for the rest of my career.''

Hingis advanced to the finals for the third year in a row and will face Coetzer, who continued her strong run with a 6-4, 6-2 win over fourth seed Monica Seles of the United States in Saturday's second semifinal. In 1997, Hingis won in a walkover over Steffi Graf but a year later fell to Davenport.

A victory over Coetzer Sunday would give her a 140-point lead over Davenport when the rankings are released Monday, and her 21st career title.

First prize is $150,000.