Hingis’ French Open bid off to good start

Hingis only dropped one game during her encounter with Garcia Keystone

The world's top woman's tennis player, Switzerland's Martina Hingis, has made a good start to this year's French Open. She won her first round match against Spain's Gala Leon Garcia.

Hingis remained in control of the match at Roland Garros, ceding just one game to her Spanish opponent. She won in straight sets, 6-1, 6-0.

“For me right now, there’s nothing I have to worry about,” Hingis said after her match. “If I go out there, play my game, they have to beat me.”

Hingis is set to play Catalina Castano of Colombia in the second round.

Her chances of winning her first ever French Open have risen sharply following shock first round exits for America’s Venus Williams and France’s Amelie Mauresmo.

Williams, who was seeded second for the Grand Slam tournament, was defeated in straight sets on Monday by Austria’s Barbara Schett.

Mauresmo had been seen as a major threat to Hingis following two recent wins over the Swiss star, but the French fifth seed was also unable to make it beyond the first day, losing out also in straight sets to Germany’s Jana Kandarr.

Taken together with the late withdrawals of Lindsay Davenport, Mary Pierce and Monica Seles, Monday’s upsets have raised the credibility of Hingis’s French Open bid without the world number one even having to hit a ball.

Despite a disappointing run that has seen her fail to win a tournament in three months, Hingis had said before arriving in Paris that she had “a better chance than ever to win the event.”

The French Open is the only Grand Slam title yet to elude the Swiss star. “If this’ll be my year, I’ll take it,” Hingis said.

The Swiss star is all too aware of the possibility of crashing out early in the tournament.

“Anyone can go out there and beat you today. If you’re not ready, if you’re not 100 per cent, especially in the Grand Slams, you’re just not going to walk through any more.”

swissinfo with agencies