Hingis third round Australian Open match comes close to upset

Martina Hingis returns the ball to her opponent Virginie Razzano Keystone

Martina Hingis is through to the fourth round of the Australian Open for the sixth year in a row following her 7-5 6-1 win over France's Virginie Razzano, ranked a lowly 144.

Hingis, who had dropped just three games on her way to the third round, looked like losing her first set in this year’s Open, after going down an early service break.

But the top seed snapped back into action, recovering the break and storming home, losing just one game in the second set.

The 20-year-old Swiss star meets the unseeded Italian Rita Grande in the next round.

Meanwhile, Roger Federer is out of the tournament following his third round straight sets defeat at the hands of the world number 15 player, France’s Arnaud Clement. A fierce first set battle saw the score reach 7-6 in the Frenchman’s favour.

Federer continued to fight hard, with both the second and third set scoreline reaching 6-4. Despite being knocked out of the tournament, the Swiss player managed to equal his debut Australian Open 2000 performance of reaching the third round.

Federer’s defeat leaves Hingis as Switzerland’s sole player in the tournament.

swissinfo with agencies