World No. 11 Martina Hingis will play two warm-up events before the US Open, final Grand Slam of the year.

The first hard-court tournament she’ll play will be the $1,340,000 Acura Classic in San Diego which starts on July 30th. Hingis reached the quarterfinals here last year and won the event in 1997 and 1999.

Martina will then take one week off and after that short break she’ll play another Tier I event, this time Rogers Cup presented by American Express in Toronto. This event switches each year between Toronto and Montreal and last year Martina reached the final where she lost to impressive Ana Ivanovic. Martina won this event in 1998, 1999, and 2000.

After these US Open tune-ups Hingis will take another week off to prepare for the Grand Slam she won in 1997. Last year Hingis was not successful at the hard-courts of the US Open losing to Virginie Razzano in the second round. (via martinaworld)

Martina Hingis had decided to compete in Wimbledon despite a partially healed left hip injury which has bothered her for months. The former world number one hadn’t played since Qatar Telecom German Open in Berlin, where she lost to Patty Schnyder in the third round. So, not playing for such a long time, Hingis became hungry for some on-court action; she was fed up with just watching matches, she wanted to play. After withdrawal from Roland Garros, Hingis couldn’t stand missing another Grand Slam, and despite her injury she decided to take part in Wimbledon.

But after a tough first round match against the British wildcard Naomi Cavaday, where Hingis won in three sets, saving two match points on the way, the 1997 Wimbledon champion started to wonder whether she had made the right decision to take part in Wimbledon 2007. She realized that there was no way she could take the trophy. Read more »

After edging past a British wildcard Naomi Cavaday in the first round, Martina Hingis ruled herself out as a serious contender for the ladies' singles crown this year.

The 1997 champion had to save two match points and play three sets to defeat the teenager ranked 232 in the world.

"After this match I don’t see myself as a contender for the title," Hingis said. (More about Hingis vs. Cavaday match here)

Martina still isn’t sure if she made the right decision, which is to compete in Wimbledon despite a left hip injury which has bothered her for two months. Read more »

Former champion Martina Hingis, seeded-ninth, had to save two match points in the second set against a British wildcard Naomi Cavaday. The Swiss reached the second round defeating the promising teenager 6-7 7-5 6-0.

At the moment when Hingis was so close to losing the match, her extensive experience had a major role; she didn’t seem nervous at all. On the other hand, her opponent Cavaday, ranked 232nd in the world, wasn’t strong enough to seal the victory when she had the two match points in her hands, and after the lost opportunity, she simply lost confidence and mental strength to eventually let Martina win the deciding set 6-0.

BTW, the court where Hingis played her opening match is sometimes called the “Graveyard of Champions” since many seeded players were upset there, which is what nearly happened to the Swiss today.

In the second round, world No.11 Hingis will face Aiko Nakamura of Japan.

We haven’t seen Martina on court for more than a month now. Being injured, the former world number one hasn’t played since Qatar Telecom German Open in Berlin, where she lost to Patty Schnyder in the third round. We were hoping that she’ll make a comeback at the 18-24 June Ordina Open in the Netherlands, but that won’t be the case.

However, it is certain that Martina will compete in Wimbledon, the third grand slam of the year. (via Martinaworld)