"I'm just very happy to be playing here again," said five-time finalist and three-time Australian Open champion Martina Hingis after a comprehensive defeat of young Frenchwoman Virginie Razzano 6-2 6-2 in the first night match of the 2002 Australian Open.

This will be the first time since 1998 that Hingis is not in Melbourne as the world number one, a title that she held for 209 weeks between March 1997 and October 2001.

The end of Hingis' 2001 season was disrupted by a serious ankle injury requiring surgery. She made a successful return to the court at the beginning of the year, defending her title at the adidas International in Sydney.

Hingis' run to the final was made a little easier this morning with the withdrawal of Serena Williams, also with an ankle injury. Should the pair have progressed through the early rounds, they would have been scheduled to meet (for the second year in a row) in the quarter finals.

"I'm just taking it one at a time. I'm happy to be through the first round. I am not worried about the quarter finals yet."

It was a solid performance from the No.3 seed against an opponent she also eliminated here in 2001. Hingis did not serve any double faults in the match and converted the majority of her break points. The 18-year-old Razzano, junior champion at Melbourne Park in 1999, received on-court treatment during the match for what appeared to be a strained thigh muscle.

"Playing Razzano here last year, I had quite a few difficulties first. But I didn't under estimate her this time. I played a smart game. That was the key this time."

Its been a long time between Slams for the 21-year-old Swiss, however she's not putting herself under any pressure to lift the trophy here for a fourth time.

"I'm just very happy to be playing here again, and I'm not really thinking about winning the tournament yet. I think I started the year off very well winning last week, so I just hope I can continue this way. But it was nice to win a tournament again - not, you know, a Grand Slam, but it will be definitely nice to have again."