Novotna finds path to brave new world

Sport and romance once again conspired to produce an overwhelmingly popular result at Wimbledon yesterday, allowing an emotionally charged Centre Court crowd to bestow its appreciation and support on a favourite daughter.

Jana Novotna's semi-final triumph over Swiss sensation Martina Hingis earned the 29year-old a standing ovation, as much for what had transpired in years gone by as it was for a superb performance in dethroning the champion.

Novotna's tears, shed on the shoulder of the Duchess of Kent after losing to Steffi Graf in the 1993 Wimbledon final, tugged at the heart strings of all who witnessed her grief. Losing a 4-1 lead in the final set proved more than she could bear.

There were no tears last year for the Czech-born Belgium resident when stomach muscle damage, sustained in the semi-final, contributed to her three-set defeat to Hingis, but she retained the sympathy of the onlookers and the Duchess assured Novotna it would be third time lucky.

It was therefore understandable that the crowd should stand in acclamation of a player who continues to defy the teen queens. Having disposed of Venus Williams in the quarter-final, Novotna produced a heady amalgam of mental and physical prowess to stun a bemused Hingis.

Trailing 3-0 in the first set, one suspected that the Czech number three seed would once again assume the mantle of gallant loser but she fought with even greater determination, seized the initiative and tried to dominate rallies.

Her familiarity with Hingis's game - they are doubles partners - helped her to perfect her tactics: she moved Hingis around the court and smothered the net. The world number one, for all her ability, can at times appear cumbersome and the best manner in which to discommode her is to force her to hit on the run.

Novotna cleverly varied the length of her shots, using her heavily sliced backhand as she charged the net. The timing of these forays was invariably perfect, driving Hingis into the corners and putting enormous pressure on the Swiss to conjure inch perfect passing shots.

"She puts a lot of pressure on you because she closes up at the net very well and you have to go for your shots," Hingis said. "She moved very well. I hit some great shots, which sometimes against other players would have won the point, but she somehow got to them. You then have to make the point again and again and again and I just wasn't patient enough."

It is a measure of her talent that Hingis managed to forge so many opportunities in the first set. She belied her tender years - she is 17 - with a gutsy maturity in trying to dig out the points. She earned a double break but then conceded too many points through basic errors and carelessness.

Novotna rattled off six of the next seven games to take the set 6-4. Hingis seemed poised to break serve in the fifth game of the second set but wasted three break points. She found herself faced with a similar dilemma in the next but two aces helped her to escape.

At 4-4 and 30-0 up on serve it appeared that the world number one would demand that Novotna serve to save the set but the Czech won four points in succession before a high backhand volley confirmed what would prove the decisive break. Hingis capitulated in the next game.

Novotna's two-fisted salute and a lingering acknowledgement of coach Hana Mandlikova illustrated her joy. She would later admit: "I learned from my mistakes last year and really gave it a lot of thought with Hana. We talked about things and I knew that I was coming into this match prepared and it showed.

"It's never easy to play your doubles partner, your friend. We get along really well and that makes it more difficult. Most of all we know each other's game very well.

"It was really emotional out there and I was really pleased. I told Martina, `You beat me last year and I gave it back to you'."

Novotna will face Nathalie Tauziat in the final after the number 16 seed recovered from a set down to prevail against unseeded Belarussian Nathasa Zvereva 1-6, 7-6, 6-3. In doing so, Tauziat becomes the first Frenchwoman to reach the final since the great Suz anne Lenglen in 1925.

Tauziat showed great resolve to shrug off a first-set annihilation to produce some superb tennis, eventually outplaying her opponent in every facet of the game: serve, groundstokes and net play.