Hingis Magic

Finally got the chance to watch Martina Hingis play a full match. She lost in straights to Maria Sharapova, in the semifinals of the Pacific Life Open but it was...well, it was an intriguing contest. It has got to be doubly demonic to play Hingis, for a top modern player: first, because Hingis has the rep, all those Slams and titles; second, because she plays, at a very high level, a game that nobody faces anymore. Basically, she's a unique combination of dogged defense, energetic retrieving, and aggressive shotmaking. Add to that the fact that she rarely hits the ball the same way twice and the average, powerful contemporary WTA chick is going to experience some frustration.

Her serve...Well, it's a liability, especially the second delivery. That said, even though she might dump serve several times each match—and maybe more than several, against a hard hitter—she still manages to break the other player's serve regularly, so she makes up for her weakness in the best way possible. Obviously, she rode her game to the semis of the Pac Life Open, so something is going right.

What hilarious is listening to the commentary, as Cliff Drysdale and Mary Jo Fernandez speculate on which shot she might play next. The idea that a top woman would have any option other than to hit hard, then harder, and clobber every putaway, is downright radical. No wonder people are loving this Hingis comeback.

Can she get to a final and win it? I think she needs to add some fitness, some strength. She needs to beef up the first serve and get a little more hop on her second ball. This would enable, say, 50 percent more holds per match, which given her ability to break, could yield some three-set victories against the current top four.