Tennis Australian OpenMartina Hingis could not adequately explain her emotions in words, but her glowing smile and glistening eyes portrayed in graphic detail yesterday the joy of her return to the Australian Open. After four years' absence she was back inside her beloved Rod Laver Stadium. And winning.
As this year unfolds, it will be fascinating to see what this five-times grand slam champion, who won three of her titles in this arena in 1997-99, will settle for.
Hingis has refused to set any goals, at least in public, but the youngest ever world number one, a position achieved when she was only 16, will surely be making the highest of demands on herself.
Her 6-1, 6-2 first-round victory over Russia's Vera Zvonareva, the number 30 seed, was not unduly demanding although Hingis made everything appear delightfully easy and displayed an enhanced aggression that had perhaps been impossible when she "retired" in 2002 with damaged feet.
Last year, while working for television, she had watched contemporaries such as Lindsay Davenport and Mary Pierce rejuvenate their careers, and the urge to return became overwhelming.
In her first WTA Tour comeback tournament in Queensland this month she reached the semi-finals, although any instant euphoria was stilled in Sydney when Justine Henin-Hardenne defeated her in the first round.
So nobody was quite sure what to expect as she stepped out under the floodlights here; in the event Hingis, now 25, simply relished the return, and the crowd drew her to them with enormous and engulfing affection. It was as if she had never left, and the standard of her tennis was a wonder to behold, even if poor Zvonareva did not quite see it that way.
Hingis moved the 21-year-old Russian around the arena with the assuredness of a master puppeteer. It was wonderful to see and to be reminded of what a joy it always was to watch the Swiss maestro construct her points, finding angles and trajectories beyond the wit of most. Here was variety, here was artistry - and a little extra knee bend in her service action has given even her most vulnerable shot a touch more skid and bite.
Quite how she will cope with the really big hitters when they come at her in successive rounds only time will tell.
On this occasion Hingis, who has clearly worked extra-hard on her fitness, moved magnificently against Zvonareva, gaining great depth on her ground strokes and, as always, appearing impeccable on the overheads and volleys.
Her greatest fear had been that she would not be able to last physically. A cool evening helped her considerably, as well as the relatively slow surface because of the temperature.
"This was the best match I've played since I came back. I just so badly didn't want to lose first round here," she said.
"A lot of things have happened to me. I've been living a different lifestyle, but I've never really walked away totally from tennis. I felt close to being a hundred per cent - like physically, mentally, everything." Her joy was a delight.
There had been rumours since the weekend that Kim Clijsters, the reigning US Open champion and number two seed here, would be forced to pull out before her match against Yoon Jeong Cho of South Korea but she duly defied her hip flexor injury to win 6-3, 6-0. Fortunately this was a far from tough test although she admitted the pain became worse towards the end.
Two years ago Clijsters injured her ankle during the build-up, yet still managed to make the final, which she lost against Henin.
Hingis's Swiss compatriot Roger Federer, a strong favourite for the men's title, also made the perfect start to his campaign when he won in brilliant fashion and his main rivals all struggled.
The world number one hardly broke sweat as he brushed aside little-known Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan 6-2 6-3 6-2 while Australian Lleyton Hewitt, Argentine Guillermo Coria and Russian Nikolay Davydenko were all pushed to five sets.
Andy Murray's coach Mark Petchey had made it perfectly clear that the Scottish teenager's inaugural match in the Australian Open against Argentina's Juan Ignacio Chela was likely to be particularly tough, and so it proved, to the surprise of nobody.
If there was an element of disappointment it was only because Murray played considerably below his best, something he was only too ready to recognise after a 6-1, 6-3, 6-3 first-round defeat.
"It's the first time I have been so easily beaten since I came on the tour, and I played silly tennis for two sets," Murray said.
"I was trying to be way too aggressive, and making so many mistakes. I'm disappointed I lost so easily, but I was due a bad match. Unfortunately it came here."
Murray was not alone. Three more of the game's most promising teenagers, the French pair Richard Gasquet and Gael Monfils, and Novak Djokovic of Serbia and Montenegro, were also beaten yesterday.
"When you are this young it's difficult to stay consistent," said Murray. "When you learn how to play your best game, that's when it will happen. It even took Roger Federer a while before he started to play as well as he is now."
In sharp contrast, this was the 26-year-old Chela's sixth consecutive appearance here and although he has only twice progressed beyond the last 32 at any slam in 19 attempts, he extracted every ounce of experience to straightjacket Murray and make certain he did not build any head of steam.
So Chela will play Hewitt tomorrow, a repeat of last year's third-round match, which the Argentinian lost and was fined for spitting.
"It could be a special match," said Chela, who was no doubt delighted to see last year's beaten finalist taken to five enervating sets by Robin Vik of the Czech Republic.
First round results
MEN'S SINGLES: First round: Florian Mayer (Ger) bt Hyung Taik Lee (Kor) 6-4 6-1 4-6 6-4, (28) Fernando Verdasco (Spa) bt Kenneth Carlsen (Den) 7-6 (7-5) 6-4 6-4, Davide Sanguinetti (Ita) bt Jacob Adaktusson (Swe) 7-6 (7-5) 6-3 6-2, (21) Nicolas Kiefer (Ger) bt Paradorn Srichaphan (Tha) 6-7 (5-7) 4-6 7-6 (7-5) 6-1 6-2, (30) Max Mirnyi (Blr) bt Thierry Ascione (Fra) 6-3 3-6 6-1 6-7 (4-7) 6-0, Boris Pashanski (Ser) bt Wayne Arthurs (Aus) 7-3 6-4 4-6 7-6 (7-2), (24) Olivier Rochus (Bel) bt Michael Llodra (Fra) 6-4 6-2 6-2, Janko Tipsarevic (Ser) bt Andreas Seppi (Ita) 1-6 6-4 4-6 6-2 6-4, Peter Luczak (Aus) bt Ivo Minar (Cze) 7-6 (7-4) 7-6 (7-5) 6-4, (15) Juan Carlos Ferrero (Spa) bt Tomas Zib (Cze) 7-5 6-0 6-2, Paul Goldstein (USA) bt Novak Djokovic (Ser) 6-2 1-6 6-3 6-2, Alex Bogomolov Jr. (USA) bt (9) Fernando Gonzalez (Chi) 4-6 7-6 (8-6) 6-3 6-7 (3-7) 7-5, Paul-Henri Mathieu (Fra) bt Arnaud Clement (Fra) 6-3 7-6 (7-4) 6-3, Bjorn Phau (Ger) bt Carlos Berlocq (Arg) 6-4 7-6 (7-3) 2-6 7-6 (7-4), Tommy Haas (Ger) bt (14) Richard Gasquet (Fra) 6-2 7-5 6-2, (12) Dominik Hrbaty (Svk) bt Oliver Marach (Aut) 3-6 4-6 6-2 6-1 6-3, Dick Norman (Bel) bt Zack Fleishman (USA) 6-4 7-6 (8-6) 5-7 0-6 6-3, Luis Horna (Per) bt (22) Gael Monfils (Fra) 6-4 7-5 6-1, Raemon Sluiter (Ned) bt Pavel Snobel (Cze) 6-4 2-6 6-2 6-4, (25) Sebastien Grosjean (Fra) bt Mark Philippoussis (Aus) 6-4 6-2 6-3, (23) Igor Andreev (Rus) bt Nicolas Almagro (Spa) 7-5 6-4 6-3, Juan Monaco (Arg) bt Jean-Rene Lisnard (Fra) 4-6 6-2 6-4 6-3, Nathan Healey (Aus) bt (29) Filippo Volandri (Ita) 6-2 6-3 ret, Federico Luzzi (Ita) bt Juan Antonio Marin (Crc) 6-1 6-4 7-5, Amer Delic (USA) bt Potito Starace (Ita) 7-5 6-7 (3-7) 6-3 3-6 6-3, (6) Guillermo Coria (Arg) bt Victor Hanescu (Rom) 6-4 1-6 4-6 6-2 6-1, Kevin Kim (USA) bt Harel Levy (Isr) 6-4 6-4 6-0, (5) Nikolay Davydenko (Rus) bt Ivo Karlovic (Cro) 7-5 4-6 3-6 7-5 6-3, (3) Lleyton Hewitt (Aus) bt Robin Vik (Cze) 6-4 2-6 5-7 7-6 (7-4) 6-3, Juan Ignacio Chela (Arg) bt Andrew Murray (Brit) 6-1 6-3 6-3, Kristof Vilegen (Bel) bt Christophe Rochus (Bel) 6-3 6-1 6-4, (1) Roger Federer (Swi) bt Denis Istomin (Uzb) 6-2 6-3 6-2.
WOMEN'S SINGLES: First round: (7) Patty Schnyder (Swi) bt Eleni Daniilidou (Gre) 6-4 6-3, Emma Laine (Fin) bt Nuria Llagostera Vives (Spa) 6-1 6-1, Shinobu Asagoe (Jpn) bt Shahar Peer (Isr) 3-6 6-1 6-4, Martina Hingis (Swi) bt (30) Vera Zvonareva (Rus) 6-1 6-2, Aiko Nakamura (Jpn) bt Alize Cornet (Fra) 6-2 4-6 6-2, (21) Ana Ivanovic (Ser) bt Shenay Perry (USA) 6-4 6-4, (31) Gisela Dulko (Arg) bt Maret Ani (Est) 6-0 7-6 (9-7), Samantha Stosur (Aus) bt Severine Bremond (Fra) 6-3 6-4, (19) Dinara Safina (Rus) bt Tathiana Garbin (Ita) 6-0 6-1, Sybille Bammer (Aut) bt Eva Birnerova (Cze) 7-5 6-4, Sofia Arvidsson (Swe) bt Maria Vento-Kabchi (Ven) 6-1 6-2, Zi Yan (Chn) bt (11) Nathalie Dechy (Fra) 6-7 (5-7) 6-2 6-3, (15) Francesca Schiavone (Ita) bt Antonella Serra-Zanetti (Ita) 6-2 7-5, Catalina Castano (Col) bt Vera Dushevina (Rus) 5-7 6-3 6-1, Jamea Jackson (USA) bt Tamarine Tanasugarn (Tha) 7-6 (7-5) 6-2, (12) Anastasia Myskina (Rus) bt Yuliana Fedak (Ukr) 7-6 (8-6) 6-1, (16) Nicole Vaidisova (Cze) bt Anastasia Yakimova (Blr) 6-1 6-3, Maria Antonia Sanchez-Lorenzo (Spa) bt Lucie Safarova (Cze) 6-4 6-3, Anna Chakvetadze (Rus) bt Jie Zheng (Chn) 5-7 6-2 6-4, (22) Anna-Lena Groenefeld (Ger) bt Laura Pous Tio (Spa) 2-6 6-4 7-5, Martina Sucha (Svk) bt Anna Smashnova-Pistolesi (Isr) 3-6 6-3 6-4, (27) Marion Bartoli (Fra) bt Amy Frazier (USA) 6-3 6-2, (20) Flavia Pennetta (Ita) bt Cara Black (Zim) 6-2 2-6 6-3, Roberta Vinci (Ita) bt Meghann Shaughnessy (USA) 7-5 6-4, (32) Sania Mirza (Ind) bt Victoriya Azarenka (Blr) 7-6 (8-6) 6-2, Meng Yuan (Chn) bt Melinda Czink (Hun) 6-4 6-2, Michaella Krajicek (Ned) bt Kristina Brandi (Pue) 6-4 7-6 (7-1), (2) Kim Clijsters (Bel) bt Yoon-Jeong Cho (Kor) 6-3 6-0, Emilie Loit (Fra) bt Viktoria Kutuzova (Ukr) 6-2 6-0, (3) Amelie Mauresmo (Fra) bt Tian Tian Sun (Chn) 4-6 6-2 6-2, (5) Mary Pierce (Fra) bt Nicole Pratt (Aus) 6-1 6-1, Iveta Benesova (Cze) bt Rika Fujiwara (Jpn) 2-6 6-1 7-5.
