Tennis: Martina Hingis was putting on a brave face after her Australian Open preparations were cut short when she was bundled out of the opening round of the Sydney International today.
The former world number one crashed to her second defeat in three days when she lost 6-4 4-6 6-3 to in-form Serbian Jelena Jankovic.
Hingis's first-round exit came just two days after she was beaten by Dinara Safina in the final of the Australian women's hardcourt championship on the Gold Coast and left her without another competitive match before the first grand slam of the year.
The 26-year-old Swiss said, however, that the loss might prove a blessing in disguise as it would allow her to feel fresh when the Australian Open starts in Melbourne next week.
"I always take positive out of a loss," Hingis told reporters. "Endurance-wise, it definitely was good playing three sets going into Melbourne. I have a few days off now so I should be fresh when I get there."
Hingis won the Australian Open three years running from 1997 to 1999 when she was in her prime but lost the next three finals.
Her last appearance, in the 2002 final, was especially agonising. On a scorching hot day that sapped her strength, Hingis blew four match points and a 4-0 lead in the second set to hand the title to Jennifer Capriati in one of the greatest turnarounds in grand slam history.