No. 6 seed Monica Seles delivered a solid performance on Tuesday, the first sunny day since Wednesday of last week. Seles administered lethal baseline winners that were simply too fast for Hingis to handle, taking the match, 6-4, 6-2.
This is the 20th time the two former world No. 1’s have met, with 15 of the 20 going Hingis’ way. However, an unflappable Seles took the stadium court by storm, taking advantage of Hingis in back and forth volleys with more precise shots.
Seles came out in the first set as if she had something to prove, triumphing in pursuit of Hingis’ shots with a relentless determination. She started off the first set converting an early break to go up 2-1, aggressively attacking each ball, which caused Hingis to deflect her shots instead of return them for winners. Hingis went on to save three break points, but in the end Seles took the first set, 6-4.
Hingis scrambled to try different techniques to catch Seles, administering drop shots that just did not pass the net and groundstrokes that were not enough to be winners.
In between sets, a despondent Hingis sat stiffly in her chair, and her gloominess carried into the second set. Seles exuded a sense of confidence that sustained her to overtake a now-baffled Hingis, breaking her at 4-2. Seles would carry her momentum from the first set, continuing to obliterate Hingis at the baseline with outstanding groundstroke winners. It would be a cross-court return winner that would give Seles the match, 6-4, 6-2.
By departing in the fourth round, this marks the first time in six years that Hingis has not made the semifinals. Awaiting Seles in the quarterfinals is Venus Williams, fresh off her close win against Chanda Rubin.