Hingis under heavy pressure at US Open

The US Open at Flushing Meadow, which begins on Monday, is make or break time for Switzerland's Martina Hingis. Not only is the world's number one tennis player not top seed, but this is her last chance to win a grand slam tournament this year.

Hingis will be up against the Williams sisters, Venus and Serena, on the New York concrete. The two Americans will be gunning for the title, with Venus confident after her recent victory at Wimbledon and Serena close to her best form as demonstrated at the Canadian Open a little more than a week ago.

Hingis’ number one spot is also under threat. The world number two, America’s Lindsay Davenport, could overtake her in the rankings if the Swiss is not up to par in the tournament.

Hingis has not won a grand slam championship since the 1999 Australian Open and is clearly aware of her recent record: “If you want to be number one, you have to win at least one grand slam tournament.”

Expectations are lower for Swiss number two, Patty Schnyder. If she makes it through the first two rounds, her tournament may very well end against world number 14 Belgium’s Dominique van Roost. The other Swiss women to play are Emmanuelle Gagliardi and Miroslava Vavrinec.

The Swiss men will be hoping to do well, but their latest results are not encouraging. The top two, Marc Rosset and Roger Federer, have not gone beyond the first round in recent tournaments.

Rosset has not won a match at Flushing Meadow since 1995. He will be up against a qualifier, while Federer faces the Dutchman, Peter Wessels, in the first round.

Swiss number three, George Bastl, will take on Australia’s Richard Fromberg, while Michel Kratochvil will face off against Brazil’s André Sa.

swissinfo with agencies