Hingis falls to earliest New York exit

NEW YORK, Sept 1 (Reuters) Five-times grand slam winner Martina Hingis was ousted 6-2 6-4 by unseeded Frenchwoman Virginie Razzano in the second round to suffer her quickest ever exit at the US Open.

In eight previous tilts at Flushing Meadows, the worst showing for the 25-year-old Swiss, who won the 1997 title, were two fourth-round results.

The eighth-seeded Hingis, returning to competition this season after a three-year absence, struggled with her serve, losing six successive service games at one point, and was erratic with her usually reliable groundstrokes.

Hingis said her showing was a combination of being worn out from her three-set victory over China's Peng Shuai on Wednesday and Razzano's high level of play.

''I think after yesterday I didn't have much more to give,'' Hingis said after the 64-minute defeat. ''I was a little flat and tired mentally. I just don't know. I just wasn't feeling well. It wasn't my day.

''Well, I think it's not only that she played well, but I didn't play good. I think I let her play well, and then she just, opened up, lost the fear, and played exceptional.'' Razzano, ranked 112th in the world, matched her best showing ever in a grand slam. In 27 previous grand slams she had reached the third round three times. In five previous US Opens she had never advanced past the second round.

The 23-year-old Razzano will meet Kaia Kanepi of Estonia in the third round.

Hingis had battled back after dropping the opening set to Peng, but Razzano would not yield after the Swiss fought back from 5-1 down in the second set to draw within 5-4 before the Frenchwoman came up with a big service game to close out the match.

''Yesterday, I was able to dig in deep, and today, you know, she had a better answer,'' Hingis said about Razzano. ''I mean, we have to say definitely she played a great match.

''She was very solid from both sides. There wasn't much I could do sometimes.'' Despite the disappointing match, the comeback season has been a success for Hingis, who fought her way back into the top 10, and reached the quarter-finals at the Australian and French Opens.

Looking downcast at her post-match news conference, however, Hingis would not speculate about her tennis future.

''This is probably not the best day to ask. I mean, you can't just be down on yourself all the way because you lose a match here at the US Open,'' she said.

REUTERS DH BST0902