Martina Hingis stormed into the second round of the 600,000 dollar Qatar Open with a clinical 6-1, 6-2 victory over American journeywoman Mashona Washington. The Swiss comeback queen overcame a stuttering start - she was broken 40-0 in the first game of the match - to establish her supremacy over the 29-year-old Washington who is yet to win a WTA title despite being a pro for a decade.
"The first game was like a wake-up call," conceded Hingis.
"But I moved her around and she was coming in and my passing shots were working very well," she added.
Hingis, who won the Doha event when it was launched in 2001, said she has to be patient and play a waiting game to reach anywhere near the top.
"I have to take it step by step because it's hard work all the way," said the 25-year-old who first became the world's top-ranked player when she was 17, something she is particularly proud off.
"I was the World No 1 when I was 17 and stayed at the top for close to four years," she said, adding: "You are a not a champion for doing nothing. It was not a gift from heaven. I worked hard for it."
After the surprise first game loss in which she struggled to middle the ball, Hingis was quick to stamp her class breaking back in the next game and holding sway throughout.
She then secured breaks in the fourth and sixth games to claim the set in 22 minutes.
Hingis stepped on the gas in the second set right from the outset and midway through grew so confident she event attempted a couple of cute shots that didn't yield the desired results although her effort earned her a lot of applause from the crowd.
Washington came up with a couple of great winners but with Hingis taking a swift 5-1 lead, there was no way she could have come back although she managed to win one more game before the Swiss finished off the match in a total of 48 minutes.
Hingis will now clash with Italian Francesa Schiavone, the third seed, who has been given a first round bye.
Meanwhile, the eighth seed Jelena Jankovic of Serbia et Montenegro was knocked out by German Julia Schruff. Schruff won 6-2, 7-5.
Australian Open winner Amelie Mauresmo, the World No. 2, is the top seed in Doha and a title win here will help her displace Belgian Kim Clijsters from the top position.
