Halard-Decugis decides to retire

Martina Hingis signalled retirement for Julie Halard-Decugis on Tuesday as the world's top-ranked singles player swept past the No 1 doubles player 6-2, 6-3, at the Chase Championships in New York.

Martina Hingis signalled retirement for Julie Halard-Decugis on Tuesday as the world's top-ranked singles player swept past the No 1 doubles player 6-2, 6-3, at the Chase Championships in New York.

Then, paired with Ai Sugiyami in the top-seeded doubles team, Halard-Decugis lost to Els Callens and Dominique van Roost 2-6, 6-3, 6-4, to officially bring her 14-year career on the tour to a close. "I'm just feeling that I want to stop and have a family life and do something else," the 30-year-old said.

In the next round, Hingis will play the sixth-seeded Nathalie Tauziat, who beat Amy Frazier 6-3, 6-2. The Frenchwoman needed just over an hour to dismiss Frazier, a late addition to the 16-player field, using her serve-and-volleying to make quick work of her match.

"When my serve began working the match was over." Tauziat said. "If I serve like I did today I can follow into the net and make a volley." Tauziat trailed 2-3 in the first set but won 10 of the last 12 games.

Anna Kournikova posted her first career win in the season's finale when the seventh seed made Jennifer Capriati's return to Madison Square Garden a short visit as she beat her 6-4, 6-4, in an entertaining but error-filled contest. "When I walked in the memories just came back," said the 24-year-old Capriati, who was making her fourth appearance in the Championships but first since 1992. "It was good to be playing here again. The first time back, I wish I would have just stayed around a little bit longer."

Frustrated by reports focusing on her father Damir's temper, the Australian Jelena Dokic arrived in Belgrade yesterday to seek a Yugoslav passport. At the Olympics in Sydney, Dokic vowed never to play for Australia again following an article in an Australian magazine that suggested her father needed psychological help.