Hingis Shows Future Is Now

Dancing lightly, almost silently, on court like a ballerina in sneakers, Martina Hingis may have inaugurated a new era in women’s tennis by winning the Australian Open on Saturday.

She doesn’t have the forehand of Steffi Graf or the net game of Martina Navratilova. What she does have is an all-court attack that makes her a threat on any surface.

And Hingis, in her 6-2, 6-2 win over Mary Pierce, showed she’s on her way to the top.

The only questions are when and for how long. No. 2 now, Hingis thinks she could reach No. 1 this year.

“Why not?” Hingis said. “Just an injury could hold me away from that right now.”