Hingis earned the top spot during her victory at the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo on Sunday.

Her semifinal win over No. 3 Jana Novotna on Saturday assured the 18-year-old Hingis of moving up from No. 2 after top-ranked Lindsay Davenport was beaten by Amanda Coetzer in the quarterfinals.

In rankings released by the WTA on Monday, Hingis had 5,722 points. Davenport was No. 2 with 5,547, followed by Novotna, Monica Seles, Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, Venus Williams, Steffi Graf, Mary Pierce, Patty Schnyder and Nathalie Tauziat.

Hingis was No. 1 from March 31, 1997, to Oct. 11, 1998, becoming the youngest ever top-ranked player since the computer rankings began in 1975. When Hingis first became No. 1, she was 16 years, 6 months, 1 day.

Hingis has won 14 of 15 matches this year, including the season's first Grand Slam tournament, the Australian Open, and her last 12 matches.

Last year, she lost her No. 1 ranking when she went six months without winning a title. During that same span, Davenport won six titles, including her first Grand Slam singles championship at the U.S. Open.

``I was 16 when I first got the No. 1 ranking,'' Hingis said. ``I just hope I can now hold onto it longer, maybe as long as I play tennis.''