Majoli in surprise win

TEENAGE tennis sensation Mattina Hingis was on the receiving end of a hiding by Iva Majoli in the final of the French Open in Paris on Saturday.

The 16-year-old world No 1, who had not lost a match this year, went down 6-4 6-2 to the Croatian ninth seed.

Having lost the first set, Hingis was deep in trouble early in the second set, looking unwell and tired in the heat, and left the Roland Garros centre court for a toilet break.

By contrast, 19-year-old Majoli looked fit and confident and completely dominated the match against the Swiss teenager.

Although both players held their serve in the opening games of the first set, Hingis was looking far from happy and she was made to save a series of break points by her opponent.

The Croatian continued to keep Hingis under pressure with the excellent depth of her big, angled groundstrokes and although her nerves surfaced briefly when she foot-faulted and consequently double-faulted in the fourth game - she quickly settled back into her rhythm.

Majoli then broke and held serve impressively to lend 5-3 by slamming down her first ace of the match before going on to win the first set 6-4.

Majoli, playing in what she has called her `lucky' 13th tournament of the year, continued to dictate the pace - and another excellent service game in which she had Hingis running from side to side ended when she thumped home a double-handed cross-court backhand.

The Swiss player was jeered by some sections of the crowd when she left the court, suspecting time-wasting tactics. She was booed again four points later when she threw her racket down in a rage.

Majoli, who had been suffering from a bad cold and who needed medication before winning her three-set semi-final against Amanda Coetzer of South Africa, held on magnificently and went 4-2 clear with a big cross-court forehand which left Hingis stranded.

Hingis then dropped her serve to love and Majoli served out for a surprise win.