| PARIS (TICKER) -- Top seed Martina Hingis of Switzerland plays France's
Amelie Mauresmo in a rematch of the Australian
Open final today in the quarterfinals of the $520,000 Open Gaz de France.
Hingis takes a 12-match winning streak into her match with Mauresmo.
One of those wins was a straight-sets victory over
Mauresmo that gave her a third straight Australian Open title.
"Amelie is a very talented player," said Hingis, who crushed Sandra
Nacuk of Yugoslavia, 6-1, 6-1, in the second round.
"Getting to the finals of the Australian Open was a great thing for
her. I think that Amelie has one of the best backhands on the
women's tour. It will be a good game but as always I'm going to try
to win."
Mauresmo cruised past Slovakia's Karina Habsudova, 6-2, 6-1, Friday
to assure the matchup.
"I believe that it is going to be a good match," Mauresmo said. "I'm
really looking forward to playing Martina again. It is not
going to be easy because she is the world's number one. We both know
our games pretty well. It is going to be tough mentally
and physically but I'm going to go out there and try and do my best."
A subplot to today's match involves disparaging comments made by Hingis
published in a German magazine about Mauresmo's
body and sexual orientation. Hingis later denied making the comments.
Also today, third seed Dominique Van Roost of Belgium plays No. 8 Elena
Likhovtseva of Russia; 1996 champion and
seventh-seeded Julie Halard-Decugis of France squares off against American
17-year-old Serena Williams; and Amelie
Cocheteux takes on Nathalie Dechy in a battle of unseeded Frenchwomen.
On Thursday, Van Roost, last year's runner-up, dumped Spain's Virginia
Ruano Pascual, 6-4, 6-0; Cocheteux, making her
main draw debut, eliminated fourth seed Irina Spirlea of Romania, 6-4,
6-2; Halard-Decugis whipped countrywoman
Anne-Gaelle Sidot, 6-1, 6-2; and Dechy got past 1997 French Open champion
Iva Majoli of Croatia, 6-2, 2-6, 6-2;
Likhovtseva beat Sandra Kleinova of the Czech Republic, 6-4, 7-5.
Making her first appearance here since winning the title in 1997, Hingis
has reached the final in each of her three 1999 events,
winning the Australian Open and the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo after
losing to Lindsay Davenport at the Sydney International.
She has won 15 of 16 matches this season.
First prize is $80,000.
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