Hingis advances after second-set scare in New Haven

A rusty Martina Hingis needed six match points to finally close out a 6-4 6-4 victory over Anna Smashnova in the first round of the New Haven Open on Monday.

Having played only one tournament since May after returning from ankle surgery, Hingis looked shaky at first against her Israeli opponent.

She dropped her serve in the opening game and struggled to hold serve at 0-2 in the face of some strong groundstrokes from Smashnova.

But Smashnova sent a backhand wide to let Hingis level at 3-3, and the Swiss former world number one broke again to love to take the set.

In the second set, fifth seeded Hingis built a 5-0 lead, held two match points on her opponents serve and then three more at 5-1 as Smashnova began to stage a late rally.

She broke twice, as an increasingly frustrated Hingis failed to serve out for victory at 5-1 and 5-3.

But Hingis finally closed out the one hour 38-minute match, breaking serve when Smashnova hit a backhand wide on the sixth match point.

"She had to make a mistake at some point," Hingis said.

"It's not that I felt I played badly when I had my opportunities, but I just couldn't finish it.

"I thought I was playing really well when we had the long rallies, but all of a sudden, well. She just stopped missing."

STEVENSON NEXT

Hingis will next play Alexandra Stevenson, who in 1999 became the first woman qualifier to reach the Wimbledon semi-finals, but then almost disappeared off the radar.

After being ranked 111 at the end of the U.S. Open almost a year ago, she has resurrected her career and now hovers around the top 30.

The inspiration for her renaissance came as a result of last year's attacks on the World Trade Center which is now drawing daily attention in the American media as the first anniversary of the tragedy approaches.

"After September 11, I decided to dedicate my playing to my friend Manny Del Valle who died in the World Trade Center," she said after beating qualifier Jelena Kostanic 6-3 7-5.

"He was 32 and a firefighter for the 14th Street Express and he drove me at the U.S. Open, and that is how we got to know each other.

"It was like a short movie. We became great friends and then he had to die, but his memory stays with me.

"In the short amount of time I knew him he really opened my eyes to a lot of things.

"He taught me a lot and helped me get through the tough times I was going through. He gave me a book of quotes to keep me uplifted. He was just really special."

SECOND VICTORY

In another first round match, German qualifier Angelika Roesch claimed her second victory this year over eighth seeded Russian Elena Dementieva, winning 6-3 1-6 6-3.

She now faces American qualifier Laura Granville for the right to meet top seed and defending champion Venus Williams or Meghann Shaughnessy.

Granville beat Daja Bedanova 3-6 6-4 6-1, and there was victory for a third qualifier as Elena Bovina outlasted Lisa Raymond 4-6 6-1 6-2.