Hingis clinches Dubai title

Hingis was too good for Tauziat

Martina Hingis has beaten Nathalie Tauziat in straight sets to win the WTA Dubai Duty Free Open.

Hingis had complained of tiredness after winning her semi-final, but it was French veteran who turned out weary in the final. She went down 6-4 6-4.

The victory was Hingis' second successive title on her mini Gulf State tour and was her fifth final of the year. It earned her US$90,000 (£62,000), but the match lacked excitement until late in the second set.

Although 33-year-old Tauziat, seeded three, often played text-book serve and volley and was able to remain competitive, she never looked capable of troubling the top seed.

I stepped up my level a little bit from earlier in the week

  Martina Hingis

Hingis immediately stamped her authority on the match by breaking serve in the opening game, aided by several blistering service returns.

And when the 20-year-old Swiss held break point at 4-2 and sent a forehand winner whistling past the Frenchwoman, Tauziat was reduced to desperately throwing her racquet at the ball.

But Hingis then wavered.

She held a set point at 5-2, but had to wait another 10 minutes before closing out the set.

She was broken for 5-3, and failed to convert three more set points on Tauziat's serve in the next game, before finally holding to love at 5-4.

In the second set, Hingis again broke twice to lead 4-1, before a number of errors allowed Tauziat to level at 4-4.

Tauziat battled hard but never looked like beating Hingis

Now under pressure to prevent the match going to a third set, Hingis broke with a smash to lead 5-4 and served out for a 72-minute victory.

"I stepped up my level a little bit from earlier in the week," she said. "I knew I had to against Nathalie.

"It was also nice conditions, a night match.

"But with her it's a mental match. The rallies are not long, but I let her come back in both sets.

"However, at important times I always won the point. I played solid tennis, and even if I had lost the second set I was fresher than her and had more energy."

'Return well'

Tauziat admitted that she was feeling the effects of a long week, which also saw her reach the doubles semi-finals with Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario.

"I played a good match," she said. "But I was a little bit tired so I tried to play shorter points and made some mistakes, especially on the return.

"It cost me the match, I think. And she can return well so I had to put my first serve in.

"I tried to serve the best I can. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it was so-so, but the difference was I didn't return well today."