| TOKYO (Reuters) - Martina Hingis guaranteed she will recapture the women's
No. 1 ranking when she beat Jana Novotna 6-3, 6-4 in the semifinals of
the $1 million Pan Pacific Open Saturday.
Hingis moved close to current No. 1 Lindsay Davenport when she won her
third straight Australian Open crown last week.
Then Davenport exited the Pan Pacific when she lost a quarterfinals
match Friday to number seven seed Amanda Coetzer of South Africa.
Hingis will overtake Davenport when the new rankings are released next
week, tour officials said.
The Swiss spent 80 consecutive weeks as the world's number one up to
Oct. 11 last year when she was replaced by Davenport after the American's
victory in the U.S. Open.
``It feels great getting back to number one,'' Hingis told national
broadcaster TBS. ``It will be great to celebrate by winning this
tournament.''
Brilliant passing shots helped secure Saturday's win over Novotna. Hingis
now meets Coetzer who upset number four seed
Monica Seles 6-4 6-2.
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