AFP
NEW YORK, SEPTEMBER 5
MARTINA Hingis turned back the clock to reach the US Open women’s doubles final on Thursday, 12 years after her last run to a title match at the majors.
The Swiss 33-year-old and her Italian partner Flavia Pennetta made the championship match with a 6-3, 6-4 win over third seeds Sania Mirza and Cara Black, the India-Zimbabwe pairing.
Hingis last appeared in a doubles final at a Grand Slam in 2002 at the Australian Open where she won the title with Anna Kournikova, one of nine doubles crowns she captured during her heyday.
“It’s great to be out here again, I am enjoying every second and I really feel the energy of the crowd,” said Hingis, who also captured the 1998 doubles title in New York with Jana Novotna.
“I got goose bumps over the last three games. There was so much tension and nerves out there as I don’t know how many more chances I will get to play again. I enjoy every second.”
In the final on Saturday, Hingis and Pennetta will face Russian fourth seeds Elena Vesnina and Ekaterina Makarova for the title.
Hingis won five Grand Slam singles titles, 43 WTA Tour singles crowns and was once world number during her prime.
After six years in retirement, she gradually felt her way back on to the doubles circuit, teaming up with Daniela Hantuchova and then winning the Miami title with German Sabine Lisicki in March.
Italian Pennetta had plenty of experience in doubles, winning 12 titles with the now-retired Gisela Dulko, including the 2011 Australian Open women’s doubles.
Hingis and Pennetta put out three seeded teams to make the US Open final -- Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Lucie Safarova, seeded 15, Kveta Peschke and Katarina Srebotnik, the fifth seeds before seeing off Mirza and Black.
It’s all been achieved without dropping a set. “I only won one title here in doubles. That was a while back in ‘98. I made some good matches, like some great memories, but it’s been a while. So it’s like I really cherish this moment because I have had some great matches, but also in doubles I didn’t feel like I had too many opportunities,” added Hingis.
