Hingis def Mirza 6-3, 7-5 in Dubai
 

discuss...
plays Myskina next

That's no surprise. Mirza doesn't have any weapons that she can hurt you with. Hingis has been awesome this year.

good for Martina

loving her comeback

Martina was never a great favourite of mine in her first incarnation - but it's amazing how absence can make the heart grow fonder, especially when the tour is now so signally lacking in her kind of subtle, intelligent tennis.

my great wish is to see her wallop one of the Williams sisters - if they manage to play any more tournaments this year, that is.

Mriza-Hingis
 

That is totally incorrect. Mirza packs a great deal of power on her forehand. If that is not a weapon, I don't know what is. The problem with Mirza, other than her lack of natural athleticism, is that her "weapon" is wayward. She pulls the trigger, but often cannot control her shot.

The real reason that the result is not a surprise is that Hingis has a far superior tennis brain than Mirza. Once Hingis figures out how to weather Sania's power and makes her feel bad about moving side to side, she has won half the battle.

Saw her lose to M. Krajicek 6-3 7-5 at the AO and for the life of me couldn't see why ppl rate her so highly. They say MK is unfit and needs to lose weight, but she looked like a gazelle (with more weapons) by comparison.

I do not consider myself a big women's tennis fan, but I would have enjoyed this match.
Mirza certainly has weapons, but I agree with Tchocky that she'd be hard pressed to hurt a cerebral player who likes pace (i.e. M. Hingis).

Having only seen her play three or four times, I would characterize Mirza as a banger with a large forehand and limited mobility. Kind of a small, less athletic, less quick Serena, maybe? I do not think she has much disguise or nuance to her game yet (but she's young...and she has studied under Bob Brett, so her future probably holds good things). In any case, Hingis continues to excel at picking apart this type of player.

Yours!05, most of the people that rate Sania highly are from India, and we have never seen a woman break into the top 40. That is why she is so big in India. I find it depressing that Mirza's emergence is somehow associated with the emancipation of the Indian woman - that is taking things too far - but I am excited about the possibility of more Indian players emerging in both the men's and women's section. Its a bit like England winning the Ashes :D . Suddenly, everyone sang the praises of the British team saying that the team had finally matured into a great unit, only to find themselves dumbfounded at the rout against Pakistan.

About my previous post, I wasn't rating Mirza too highly at all, just trying to describe her strengths and limitations correctly. She is a very limited player and people who understand tennis have no problem figuring that out. She is rated highly not because of her game, but because of the potential changes that she, and others following in her steps, are likely to bring about. As someone who prefers smart tennis over power tennis, I am most definitely not a fan of Mirza's game.

Thanks Polaris. Certainly the problems she faces make Andy Murray's "Great Hope" pressures seem minute, and I hope it is the beginning of wider participation in tennis.
(Glad to see someone has perspective on the Ashes victory, and after.;) ;) )

Hingis, returning from a three-year retirement and already ranked No. 50 after six weeks back on the tour, broke Mirza’s serve six times in the first-round match.

“It felt more like a soccer match out there,” Hingis said. “She is not very big built and when she hits that forehand, you think ‘Whoa! Where did that come from?’ But she needs to be more consistent.”

Mirza was impressed after her first match with the five-time Grand Slam winner.

“Martina is one player I admired and was really disappointed that she wasn’t around when I started playing the tour,” Mirza said. “I am just excited to play with her and I think I played a great match and made her work hard for her points.”

A wild-card entry into the field, Hingis won the inaugural Dubai Open in 2001 and hadn’t been back since. Hingis next meets sixth-seeded Anastasia Myskina.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11477036/

Hingis Myskina should be a heck of a match. It seems like the only way to beat HIngis is to overpower her. Myskina will try to out maneuver out consistent her and i don't think its gonna happen.

Myskina is a headcase and has said that she sometimes does not know how to win matches. Martina will blast her away, even if she plays with the same form she did against Mirza (apparently she overtrained and didn't rest enough).

i like martina in this match, but with Myskina u never know haha.

Martina Hingis continued her impressive return to tennis with victory over Anastasia Myskina at the Dubai Open.

The former world number one beat sixth seed and former French Open champion Myskina 6-4 6-3 to reach the quarters.

"It is not a comeback anymore," Hingis said. "I am here now and this is my fifth tournament. I have shown that I can still play. I don't look at it as a comeback anymore. It is more like the second part of my career now."

The five-time Grand Slam champion led 4-1 in the first set, before Myskina drew to 5-4. In the second set, Hingis broke in the fourth game to go up 3-1 and held serve thereafter.

"I think winning the first game showed her that I am here and I am prepared, and that she has to earn her points," Hingis said. "It was really important to have won that first game."

Plays Sharapova next....

Boy, do I hope she wins against Sharapova! That'll be a classic match of power tennis vs smart tennis.

I haven't seen much of Mirza. I've seen her hit some powerful forehands, but I've also read her say that her game is just to hit winners, it's hit and miss and she's not willing to change it because it's her game. She will not go far.