Hingis overpowers Schiavone to reach last eight in Rome

ROME, May 18 : Former world number one Martina Hingis reached the quarter-finals of the Italian Open by overpowering eighth seed Francesca Schiavone 6-0 7-5 today.

The 25-year-old Swiss, who recently returned to the top 30 after ending a three-year exile, was too strong for the top-ranked Italian in a one-sided first set.

Schiavone came out more aggressively in the second set to grab an early break before Hingis broke back.

She then took advantage of a double fault and a pair of wild backhands by Schiavone to gain a decisive break in the 11th game before serving out for the match.

''In the first set I played very well, I made almost no mistakes. But then in the second set she started to mix it up and all I was thinking was how I didn't want to go to a third set,'' said Hingis, who won the claycourt tournament in 1998.

In the last eight Hingis will play the winner of the later match between 15th seed Flavia Pennetta and Anabel Medina Garrigues.

REUTERS