Hingis to meet Seles in Pan Pacific Open final

Top seed Martina Hingis thrashed fifth-seeded Silvia Farina Elia 6-0, 6-4 to advance to the final of the $1.22 million Pan Pacific Open for the sixth straight year on Saturday.

Hingis, winner here in 1997, 1999 and 2000, will face number three seed Monica Seles in Sunday's final after the American recovered from a break down in the third set to beat Anna Kournikova of Russia 6-3, 3-6, 6-3.

Hingis was forced to save a break point in the opening game but quickly found her rhythm as the Swiss world number four swept through the first set in just 25 minutes behind a flurry of passing shots at Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium.

As in her quarter-final against Tamarine Tanasugarn on Friday, however, Hingis had a lapse in concentration and traded service breaks with Farina Elia at the start of the second set as the crowd of 8,000 tried to lift the 29-year-old Italian.

But Hingis, who joked afterwards that she could not remember her loss to Farina Elia as a 15-year-old in Paris in 1996, could still afford to replay a point in the third game after a forehand from her 15th-ranked opponent was called out.

At 3-1 she looked to be cruising until the Italian came up with an athletic volley to break back and then took the next two games to go up 4-3.

It merely provided Hingis with a wake-up call, however, as she broke back immediately and raced through the next two games, closing out the match with a cross-court forehand pass after 58 minutes on court.

The 21-year-old Hingis has now reached the final in Tokyo for the last six years, each time coming off an appearance in the Australian Open final.

"The last time I played Silvia (in Indian Wells last year), I won 6-0 6-1 so I was hoping she remembered that today," said Hingis, who owns a 13-1 record in 2002, her only loss coming against Jennifer Capriati in Melbourne last Saturday.

"It was a little bit nail-biting for me there for a while in the second set but it was nice to break her right back and take control after that."

World number 10 Seles, who overcame big-serving qualifier Alexandra Stevenson in two marathon tie-breaks on Friday, dug deep again to defeat a rejuvenated Kournikova in a see-saw match.

Kournikova, whose world ranking has plunged to 99 after she was sidelined for eight months last year with a foot injury, failed to capitalise on a 2-0 lead in the third set after playing almost flawless tennis to take the second set.

Luck then deserted the 20-year-old Russian when a backhand pass from Seles at break point in the eighth game appeared wide but was called in to give the former world number one a 5-3 lead which she duly consolidated to wrap up the match in 81 minutes.

"The last two times I played Martina it has gone to three sets so it will be an interesting match," said Seles. "Tactics don't come into it on this surface because you have no time to think. But it's Martina so I know I will have to play my best."

Hingis has won 13 of her 17 meetings with Seles, including a 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 victory in the semifinal of the Australian Open last month.

Sunday's winner will receive $182,000 with the runner-up taking home $97,000.