Hingis well prepared for Fed Cup match

Hingis well prepared for Fed Cup match

JAKARTA (JP): Martina Hingis, the youngest Wimbledon winner in
history, claims she is well-prepared to beat Indonesian tennis
queen Yayuk Basuki in their Federation Cup second-round playoff
here this weekend.

"But it's going to be difficult for me because of the home
crowd support she certainly enjoys," the world number 17 said
upon her arrival yesterday. The match is scheduled for July 13
and July 14 at the Senayan rebound ace stadium.

The 15-year-old Swiss teenager beat Yayuk, who is 10 years
older but 11 places lower in the world rankings, in their only
previous meeting in March at Hilton Head island in North
Carolina.

"My (world) ranking is higher than Yayuk's. I have played her
once and I won," Hingis, appearing in her new short haircut,
said. "Thus... I should be able to beat her again."

Melanie Hingis, Martina's mother, coach and non-playing
captain of the Swiss team, said yesterday that Martina is likely
to play doubles but she could not yet announce her partner. The
draw is scheduled for tonight.

Martina joined forces with Helena Sukova of the Czech Republic
to land the Wimbledon women's doubles crown on Monday.

During the Fed Cup European qualifying group tie in Lamanka,
Spain, in April, Martina teamed up with Angela Brgis. Martina
won all five singles and two doubles matches she played in the
group tie this year.

Martina won 11 out of 13 matches in her Fed Cup debut year,
last year. She lost one singles match to Natasha Zvereva of
Belarus and one doubles match to Latvia's Larissa Nieland and
Anjessa Plumberga.

Brgis did not make the team because of an upper foot strain
and has been replaced by Andrea Schwarz.

Swiss team coordinator Annemarie Ruegg added that Martina
would be fielded to play doubles only when necessary. This means
that if the Swiss soar to a 3-0 winning lead from the singles
matches, then it might not be necessary to field Martina in the
doubles.

Indonesia leads Switzerland 2-1 in their Fed Cup encounters
since 1976. Indonesia lost 3-0 in the United States in 1976 but
avenged the loss with two 2-1 victories in 1989 in Japan and in
1990 in the U.S.

Martina, who attributed her new haircut to a need "for a
change", said that playing in both the women's singles and
doubles at Wimbledon recently did not tax her energy for the
playoff. She proved her stamina in a practice with her team
yesterday afternoon, a few hours after her arrival in Jakarta.

Martina also said that Jakarta's tropical heat would be no
problem for her. "I have been to Australia for two years, where
the climate is not too different from here," she said.

As for the court, Martina said that thus far, she has won more
when playing on clay. But the rebound ace court is okay. "I have
this kind of court at home. So playing here makes me feel like
playing at home," she said.

Martina was born in then Czechoslovakia on Sept. 30, 1980.
Melanie, who used to play tennis only in Czechoslovakia, said
that her daughter learned tennis from her at the age of three.

They moved to Switzerland eight years ago. They now live in
Trbback, a town in the Alps about 100km east of Zurich. (arf)