| FILDERSTADT, GERMANY (TICKER) -- For Martina Hingis, there
is no substitute.
Hingis took a victory and a car at the $535,000 Porsche Tennis Grand
Prix, routing unseeded teenager Kim Clijsters of Belgium, 6-0, 6-3, in
today's final.
The top seed from Swizerland swept through the first set in just 19
minutes and won the final three games to wrap up her 32nd career title
in less than an hour. The winner of this event has the choice of keeping
the $87,000 first prize or a silver 2000 Porsche Boxer. Hingis chose the
car.
"You can do with a nice cabriolet in Florida, so I'll probably have
to expand my garage," she said.
It was a rather easy week for Hingis, who lost just 10 games in her
four matches after receiving a first-round bye. She won her fourth title
here in five years here and her sixth in 2000, tying red-hot Venus Williams
for the WTA Tour lead.
"I am delighted," said Hingis, who improved her match record this year
to 62-9. "The whole week was just perfect and I hope it stays that way.
This is like a home tournament for me so I didn't want to let it go.
"Kim reminded me of myself four years ago when I was standing in the
final as a young player. Against Kim, you have to move quick and play very
well so I stayed focus and fought for every point."
Clijsters, who made her debut at this tournament as a wild card entry,
was seeking her third WTA Tour title. She knocked off three seeds this
week, eliminating No. 2 Conchita Martina, third seed Nathalie Tauziat,
and No. 6 Anna Kournikova. The 17-year-old will rise from 45th to between
No. 25-30 when the next WTA rankings are released on Monday.
"I had so much fun this week and it was great that the tournament gave
me a wild card," sshe said. "Martina has a lot of experience and hits the
ball so clean, she's got an answer to play every player and that's why
she's No. 1."
|