Capriati outranks injured Hingis

Deposed by Jennifer Capriati as the world No 1, Martina Hingis will miss the rest of the season after undergoing surgery to repair a torn ligament in her right ankle in Zurich yesterday.

The 21-year-old Swiss lost her status at the head of the women's game on Saturday when forced to retire after the third game of her semi-final against Lindsay Davenport in the Porsche Grand Prix in Filderstadt, Germany. "Lindsay wrong-footed me on break point at one-all, and I heard two loud clicks in my right ankle," Hingis said.

Hingis needed the points from a win against Davenport to avoid being overtaken, even though Capriati had lost in the quarter-finals to Sandrine Testud, of France. Although Capriati would rather have gained those extra points with her racket, there is no doubt about her right to be No 1 after winning the first Grand Slam singles titles of her career in Australia in January and France in June and continuing to win WTA Tour matches while Venus Williams chose to stay home in America after successfully defending the Wimbledon and United States Open titles.

Capriati, barely 14 when competing in her first professional tournament in 1990, has won the admiration of the sporting world by recovering from teenage traumas to revive her career. She is only the ninth No 1 since the women's world computer rankings began on 3 November 1975 with the reign of her fellow American, Chris Evert.

"I haven't really digested it yet," the 25-year-old Capriati said. "I think I'll have to see it on paper first. It's every kid's dream to be No 1. I think you can appreciate it more when you are older. I have been more committed to the sport in the last few years, and in Australia this year I think everything clicked for me. I am also proud to be able to come back from everything that has happened in my life, and just to enjoy tennis and play this well."

Hingis, who in March 1997 became the youngest world No1 (aged 16 years, six months, one day), has held the top position for a total of 209 weeks – fourth in line after Steffi Graf (378), Martina Navratilova (331) and Chris Evert (262).

Coincidentally, when Hingis first surrendered her No. 1 ranking, to Davenport three years ago at Filderstadt, she injured her right ankle while running in woods nearby prior to her quarter-final loss to Dominique van Roost, of Belgium.

Hingis's latest reign lasted 73 consecutive weeks, testimony to her ability to play consistently well on the regular WTA Tour while failing to add to her five Grand Slam singles titles, the last of which was accomplished at the 1999 Australian Open. Even before her latest injury set-back, Hingis was having difficulty coping with more powerful rivals, chiefly the Williams sisters, Capriati and Davenport, who reaffirmed her credentials by beating Belgium's Justine Henin 7-5, 6-4 in the final of the Porsche Grand Prix yesterday. Hingis will do well to haul herself back to the summit.

* Germany's Tommy Haas overpowered Argentina's Guillermo Cañas 6-2, 7-6, 6-4, to win the CA Trophy in Vienna yesterday for his third title of the year and fourth overall. The sixth seed Haas, who made amends for losing to Britain's Tim Henman in last year's final, became the third German to win this hardcourt event after Boris Becker and Michael Stich. Victory kept alive the 23-year-old's hopes of qualifying for the season-ending Masters Cup in Sydney, which has a draw of just eight players.