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CARLSBAD, Calif. - Broken-spirited and injured, Martina Hingis disappeared three years ago, relinquishing her spot at the top of women's tennis to players such as Kim Clijsters, Justine Henin-Hardenne, Amelie Mauresmo and Maria Sharapova.
Hingis is back now, but the others haven't gone anywhere.
The former No.1 player has made a remarkable run from retirement to No.13 in the world, but she continues to struggle against the elite players. On Friday, she lost to second-ranked Kim Clijsters for a third time in her comeback, falling, 7-5, 6-2, in the quarterfinals of the Acura Classic.
Clijsters, who won last week's event in Palo Alto, will play Nicole Vaidisova in Saturday's semifinals at La Costa Resort and Spa. Vaidisova, who will move into the top 10 next week, defeated Anna Chakvetadze, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3.
Sharapova, seeded second, will play fourth-seeded Patty Schnyder in the other semifinal. Sharapova advanced with a 6-2, 6-3 victory against defending champion Mary Pierce, while Schnyder reached the semifinals by beating fifth-seeded Elena Dementieva, 6-4, 6-3.
Clijsters dominated Hingis despite an achy back and weary legs that limited her movement. She said she has begun to feel the effects of playing back-to-back tournaments on top of Fed Cup.
"It's part of sports, having good days and bad days," Clijsters said. "But it's annoying to have little things that you feel on the court. That's why I was getting annoyed."
After dumping a forehand into the net in the first set, Clijsters swiped at the ground with her racket, breaking the frame.
"I just tried to flick (the court), but I guess my arms are longer than I thought," she said.
Although she didn't break her racket, Hingis' frustration became obvious as the match progressed. She challenged calls, made faces and repeatedly threw up her hands.
At 25, Hingis clearly isn't the same player as she was when she ruled tennis with her cunning ground strokes and omnipresent grin. She now runs around her once deadly backhand, her forehand lets her down, and doubt has crept in.
"Geez, I'm 25, not 17 and I can't make up for the three years I did not play," Hingis said. "But I've showed the skills and I can play long matches, but against the top players you have to play matches like today and come out on top."
VENUS OUT OF L.A.
Venus Williams withdrew Friday from next week's JPMorgan Chase Open because of a sore left wrist.
Williams, who missed this week's Acura Classic in Carlsbad, apparently re-injured the wrist shortly after Wimbledon and continues to feel pain.
Her sister, Serena, still is entered in the weeklong event at The Home Depot Center.
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(c) 2006, The Orange County Register (Santa Ana, Calif.). Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service.
