Henin-Hardenne beats Hingis in straight sets
(Reuters)
Updated: 2006-01-09 14:12

SYDNEY, Jan 9 (Reuters) - Justine Henin-Hardenne eased past Martina Hingis 6-3 6-3 in the opening round of the Sydney International on Monday to hand the former world number one her second straight defeat since announcing her comeback.

Switzerland's Martina Hingis (L) and Belgium's Justine Henin-Hardenne shake hands after their first-round match at the Sydney International Tennis tournament January 9, 2006. Henin-Hardenne won 6-3 6-3. [Reuters]

The Belgian made light work of their anticipated clash, cruising to victory in a little over an hour to safely advance to the second round.

Hingis, who was knocked out of last week's Australian women's hardcourt championship last week by Flavia Pennetta in her first serious tournament in over three years, showed some fleeting glimpses of her old form but struggled to produce the same standards that saw her dominate the sport in the late 1990s.

The Swiss had not dropped a set in her two previous matches with Henin-Hardenne in 2000 but her lack of match practice was evident on Monday as the Belgian ran her ragged on the Sydney International tennis centre's centre court.

Henin-Hardenne, also on the comeback trail after being plagued by injuries and illness since for the past two years, used her superior speed and flashy groundstrokes to expose problems with the Hingis serve.

Henin-Hardenne broke Hingis three times to snatch the opening set in 37 minutes, then once more to add the second set in 32 minutes.

The 23-year-old won the French Open last year after returning from injury but was hurt again late in the season.