MASTERS 1998 - Madison Square Garden

MASTERS '98

Hingis stymies Davenport to win Chase Championships

Lindsay during her final against Martina

Martina at the moment she won against Lindsay

Martina during the first round against Patty Schnyder

NEW YORK (TICKER) -- Lindsay Davenport will finish the year as the world's No. 1 player, but it was Switzerland's Martina Hingis who finished on top today.

Hingis, displaced by Davenport for the No. 1 ranking last month, frustrated the error-prone American in posting a 7-5, 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 victory over the top seed in the best-of-five final at the season-ending $2 million Chase Championships.
Hingis, who earned $500,000 for the victory, avenged a loss to Davenport in the U.S. Open final as she snapped a title drought of six months. Although she won only five tournaments in 1998, Hingis began and closed the year triumphantly, winning her second straight Australian Open title in January and her first Chase Championships title today.

"It feels great," said Hingis. "To play in the (Madison Square) Garden was a big success for me. I will try to get back the No. 1 ranking next year."

Hingis took control in the second set, when Davenport was unable to capitalize on five break-point chances. Davenport saved one set point on her serve in the 10th game and had two chances to even the set at 5-all. But after a third deuce, Davenport hit a forehand wide to give Hingis the only break of the set and a commanding two-set lead.
Davenport broke Hingis twice in taking the third set, but Hingis stormed to a 5-1 lead in the fourth. After the American managed to break Hingis in the seventh game, Hingis came back from 0-30 to force match point after two forehand winners and a forehand error by Davenport.
Davenport saved it with a backhand winner but netted two straight backhands to conclude the two-hour, 23-minute battle.

"I am very happy about this title," said Hingis. "To win the first and last of the big ones (tournaments) feels good. You finish up without losing to anybody, have a break now and go into the next year with a good feeling."

Hingis went up a break in the third game of the opening set, but Davenport broke back in the next game after the Swiss teenager netted a forehand. Hingis saved three break points in the seventh game before holding serve on a beautiful crosscourt forehand winner.
Davenport fell behind 0-40 in the 12th game before rallying to deuce. But she was plagued by 16 unforced errors in that set, including two straight with her forehand as Hingis got the break and the set.

The 18-year-old Hingis, who will finish second behind Davenport when the final WTA rankins are released Monday, now leads the all-time series with Davenport, 7-6. She improved to 8-2 at this event as she won her first tournament since the Italian Open in early May. She lost to Steffi Graf in five sets in the 1996 final and fell in the quarterfinals last year.
Hingis said her lack of focus after dominating the WTA Tour last year may have played a roll in her struggles this season.

"Once you keep winning the tournaments and keep beating the same players over and over, you have the feeling you are unbeatable," she said. "Then you train less as you would. Once you get to No. 1, you have to deal with things other than tennis."

For Davenport, it was a bittersweet ending to a career year that saw her win her first Grand Slam title in New York and capture six tournaments overall. The 22-year-old is the first American-born woman since Chris Evert in 1981 to finish the year at No. 1.
"For some reason, I was able to break through and play really great tennis and make my dream come true," said Davenport. "To end the year No. 1 is unbelievable, but to look back and see that I won the U.S. Open is unbelievable. I have had a great year and after I get over this loss I can look back with great memories over the year. It's going to be hard to duplicate next year."
Davenport, who had beaten Hingis in three of four meetings this year before today, committed 39 unforced errors and converted on only 4-of-16 break-point opportunities as she lost for the second time in the final of this event. She lost to Gabriela Sabatini in the 1994 final.

"I tried my best today but it just wasn't enough," Davenport said. "She played great tennis and really deserved to win today."
After playing three matches, including doubles, in less than 48 hours leading up to today's match, Davenport said fatigue may have played a role in her performance against Hingis.
"I just was a little bit tired and that made a difference," she said. "But at the same time, Martina was much more aggressive today than the last couple of times I played her. The court is a little bit faster, so she was attacking the ball a little bit better."