The ninth-seeded Hingis who won the 1997 tournament, reached the final in 1998 and '99 and made the semifinals the last two years struggled throughout the first set as her unseeded opponent broke her twice in two chances.

"At first I didn't know the girl," Hingis said. "But I played her bigger sister (Adriana) in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open so I knew pretty much what I was going into.

"I watched her play a little bit also ... I knew she had a good backhand and a little weaker forehand."

Hingis, ranked No. 8 in the world but granted a wild card to play here after missing most of the season recovering from ankle surgery, managed to break back three times in seven chances to win the set.

"That kind of worked, just playing her forehand, just attack the serve," Hingis said.

In the second set, Hingis looked unbeatable, quickly taking a 5-0 lead before serving out the match.

"Today I definitely knew that I can play my game and go out there and not be afraid of rallies," she said. "That was a positive thing."

Besides her U.S. Open trophy, Hingis won Wimbledon in 1997 and the Australian Open from '97-'99.

This year, the Swiss reached the final in Australia but missed the French Open and Wimbledon.