“It’s a wonderful feeling to play here,” says Hingis
“It’s a wonderful feeling to play here. Many friends and acquaintances came to watch me play,” said Martina Hingis after her 6-0 7-5 win over Anna-Lena Groenefeld. “At the start of the year, when I was just setting out on my comeback, I was often nervous on the court, but after the first few wins I began to play better and better, and the highlights were the matches against the current top-five players. In the second half of the year there have been ups and downs, but to be able to play her in Zurich has given me an extra kick.
“Since the draw I’ve been a little on edge in expectation of my first match, but I prepared well. In the first set I played very well and didn’t allow her to do much. Then I got a bit defensive, but I still had the feeling that I was the conductor on the court, that I was directing what was going on, and that’s what I was for a number of years.”
Groenefeld said of Hingis: “She has a lot of experience, plays very solidly, constructs her points very well, and has such good anticipation. She has a great chance to go a long way here, perhaps even to play for the title.”