World number one Martina Hingis suffered a shock defeat in the first round at Wimbledon today, beaten 6-4 6-2 by Virginia Ruano Pascual of Spain, ranked 83 in the world.
It is only the fourth time in Wimbledon history, dating back to 1884, that the top women's seed has lost in her first match.
Hingis also lost in 1999 in the first round when, as top seed, she was defeated 6-2 6-0 by Yugoslav-born Jelena Dokic, then playing for Australia.
That defeat by Dokic was only the third time since tennis went professional in 1968 that a women's top seed had lost in the first round of a Grand Slam tournament.
Hingis is without a Grand Slam title since the Australian Open in early 1999 - a run of 10 "majors" - and is unlikely to hold on to the number one spot after today's court one loss.
