PATTAYA, Thailand, 2 February 2005 — Former world number one Martina Hingis slumped to defeat on her comeback after two years out with an ankle injury yesterday and said she had “no plans” to play in any other tournaments.

The 24-year-old Swiss lost 1-6, 6-2, 6-2 to Germany’s Marlene Weingartner in the first round of the Thailand Open.

Hingis was thought to be using the Thai event as a test for a full-time return but she said: “My life has been very good the last couple of years. I’m very comfortable, and this is really hard work.

“I give the girls a lot of credit, who travel all the time. I was doing that for 10 years.

“I’ve never had plans further than this step. Maybe I’ll play some exhibitions. That’s my plan at the moment. At this point I have no plans to play any more tournaments.”

Hingis was seeking a low-key event in which to test her ability to return to the WTA Tour and was on top for the first set against a player ranked 73 in the world.

However, Hingis’s service began to deteriorate in the second set and her opponent took advantage of a series of lightweight returns.

In the third set, an increasingly listless Hingis fell behind 1-0 with a netted double-handed backhand and a blistering backhand winner down the line gave Weingartner a further break for 4-1. A netted Hingis forehand ended her hopes of victory.

At 16, Hingis was on top of the world, the youngest winner of a grand slam last century, the youngest world number one and the holder of the Australian, Wimbledon and U.S. Open titles.

She compensated for her lack of height with superb court craft, great timing and an indomitable will.

The advent of the powerful Williams sisters punctured Hingis’s dominance and her decline began. She won the last of her five grand slam singles titles at the 1999 Australian Open.

In 2001 she sued Italian sportswear company Sergio Tacchini, saying their shoes had damaged her feet.

Operations on her ankles in October 2001 and May 2002 led her to withdraw from the sport. Before the Pattaya tournament her last match had been in Filderstadt, Germany, in late 2002.

“I think I’m ready for playing exhibitions,” Hingis added. “I felt pretty good about my game. I just couldn’t raise it when she started playing quicker.

“She really raised her level, and that’s another step for me to do physically.

“In the beginning, she was a little afraid and was in a difficult position playing me. Everyone talks about the comeback and it’s not an easy game for her.

“Then she relaxed and just started playing.

“It takes so much energy and so much focus. I almost didn’t miss a ball in the first set. But keeping that focused and that consistent the whole match is just almost impossible at this point.”

Sugiyama Jinx Strikes Again in Tokyo

In Tokyo, Japan’s Ai Sugiyama suffered her fourth straight first round defeat when she was beaten 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 by Italian Roberta Vinci at the Pan Pacific Open yesterday.

However, there were resounding victories for sixth seed Elena Likhovtseva and eighth seed Daniela Hantuchova in Tokyo.

Fifth seed Sugiyama, who had lost at the first hurdle at the Gold Coast, Sydney and the Australian Open, suffered a second set meltdown after a decent start against her 117th-ranked opponent.

“I think it’s down to a lack of confidence,” shrugged Sugiyama. “Nothing I worked on in practice clicked. Mentally I’m still nowhere near close enough.”

Serbian Jelena Jankovic was another casualty in Tokyo, the seventh seed knocked out by Czech Iveta Benesova, who came through to win 1-6, 6-3, 6-1. Slovakian Hantuchova overpowered Russian Alina Jidkova 6-1, 6-4 while Likhovtseva, also of Russia, demolished Spain’s Arantxa Parra Santonja 6-0, 6-0 in another late match.

In other matches, Russian Maria Kirilenko beat China’s Peng Shuai 6-3 6-2 while Saori Obata trounced wildcard Miho Saeki 6-0 6-1 in an all-Japanese encounter.

Obata now plays world number one Lindsay Davenport, who is bidding to win a record fifth title at the $1.3 million event.

Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova and fellow Russians Svetlana Kuznetsova and Elena Dementieva are also among a quality field in Tokyo. The top four players received first-round byes.

Sharapova plays Maria Vento-Kabchi of Venezuela while U.S. Open champion Kuznetsova takes on Swiss qualifier Marie-Gayanay Mikaelian on Wednesday.