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Wimbledon's Six to Savour

June 16, 2008

Martina Hingis (Switzerland)

This might as well incur the wrath of die-hard Martina Hingis fans, but it won't be entirely wrong to say that Hingis was simply not cut for the Big W.

Her game wasn't suited to the conditions, and the lack of a good serve would eventually prove to be her undoing.

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  • Having said that, 'Swiss Miss' still made her presence felt at the All England Club and has some achievements to defy the above arguments.

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  • Hingis, who in 1993, became the youngest player to win a Grand Slam junior title (at 12) when she won the girls' singles at the French Open, retained her French title in 1994, and also won the girls' singles title at Wimbledon, with a 7-5, 6-4 win over Korean M R Jeon.

    Her women's singles debut ended in an opening round exit in 1995, but a year later, she became the youngest Wimbledon champion when she teamed with Czech Helena Sukova to win the women's doubles title at age 15 years and 9 months.

    In 1997, the Swiss became the youngest singles champion at Wimbledon since Lottie Dod in 1887 when she beat Jana Novotna in a three-set final.

    The win was more about the Czech's mental frailties as much as it was about Hingis's doggedness. Novotna did prove her point a year later, beating Hingis en route to title.

    But, by then, 'Swiss Miss' had already become a member of this elite list.

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