Hingis sees off Kournikova in Hamburg quarter finals

Switzerland's top seed tennis player, Martina Hingis, has defeated the Russian, Anna Kournikova, in the quarter finals of the Hamburg Cup. Hingis will now face Germany's Anke Huber in Saturday's semi-finals.

Hingis defeated Kournikova comfortably enough (3-6 6-2 6-4) in Friday’s showdown. But she looked a little rusty in her first set in which she made a number of unforced errors and came under pressure from her opponent’s powerful ground strokes.

However, the 19-year-old Swiss player fought back in the second set, but only after wasting a series of breakpoints early in the set.

“I can easily play the way I played in the second or the third set, but I need to be more consistent,” said Hingis, who has now beaten the number six world player, Kournikova, in eight of nine meetings with her.

Hingis dominated in her serve later in the match but handed her Russian opponent a last-minute lifeline by hitting a number of balls into the net herself.

Kournikova won two break games in a row to put herself back into contention at just 5-4 down. But she was then unable to win her own service game, handing Hingis victory.

Huber secured her place in the semi-finals after beating Spain’s Conchita Martinez, 6-7, 7-6, 6-2.

swissinfo with agencies