Hingis Has Them All Atwitter At Australian Open

Coincidence or commentary, songbirds warbled sweetly when Martina Hingis served, then quieted and let the crows caw crazily when it was Lisa Raymond’s turn.

That’s how it went throughout most of the second set Thursday as the No. 4 Hingis played lilting tennis to slip smoothly into the third round of the Australian Open with a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Raymond.

“I played almost perfect in the second set,” the 16-year-old Hingis said of her first match against the 23-year-old American. “The first set was very tough. After the first set, I knew what I was going to do and how I was going to make the points.”

First-set problems bedeviled two former men’s champions: top-seeded Pete Sampras and No. 11 Jim Courier. Both came back strongly, Sampras beating Romanian Adrian Voinea 3-6, 6-2, 6-3, 6-2 and Courier downing Slava Dosedel of the Czech Republic 4-6, 6-2, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4.

No. 5 Thomas Muster had much less difficulty in a 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 victory over South African Grant Stafford. Also advancing easily was No. 16 Alberto Berasategui, who beat fellow Spaniard Tomas Carbonell 6-3, 7-5, 6-4.

Jeff Tarango, thrown out of Wimbledon two years ago, rolled to a 6-4, 6-1, 6-1 win over Marc Rosset.

Hingis is living a charmed life on and off the court. She has been playing better than any woman except Steffi Graf over the past six months, and has set records almost weekly as the youngest player to do everything.

Last week, Hingis beat Jennifer Capriati to usurp Capriati’s mark as the youngest winner of the Sydney International - Capriati was six months older when she won in 1993 - and last summer she became the youngest Wimbledon champion by capturing the doubles title with Helena Sukova.

Hingis not only has won more than $1 million in prize money, but this week signed a $10 million, 5-year contract with sportswear manufacturer Sergio Tacchini.

Hingis is on a path at the Australian Open to meet second-seeded Arantxa Sanchez Vicario in the semifinals.

Sanchez Vicario hardly had a chance to get any exercise in today’s second round against Stephanie de Ville, who sprained her ankle on the sixth point of the match.