Starry plans for Hingis

MELBOURNE, JAN 20: Martina Hingis says she and doubles partner Anna Kournikova could one day be movie stars, but before that happens ther...

MELBOURNE, JAN 20: Martina Hingis says she and doubles partner Anna Kournikova could one day be movie stars, but before that happens there8217;s an Australian Open title to defend.

While the Russian pin-up struggled yesterday, the Hingis juggernaut continued towards its destination with a comfortable win over America8217;s Lilla Osterloh.

8220;It was a good warm-up,8221; said Hingis. 8220;I could try a lot of things and I8217;m pretty happy about my game, the match.8221;

It is well known that 17-year-old Kournikova loves the spotlight and has proved she has that star quality, but Hingis the girl with the infectious laugh?

Last year US men8217;s magazine GQ showed it thought she had what it took, making her the first female athlete to grace its cover.

8220;A movie, yeah,8221; she said when questioned on the possibility.

8220;Anna spends more time with make-up and stuff and she likes doing that and I love photo shoots, it8217;s fun and a great job for her after tennis.8221;

Story continues below this ad

8220;Maybe a TV show. I mean who knows what will happen in thefuture. Everyone is already saying we8217;re the Spice Girls of tennis, like Me, Anna, the Williams sisters.8221;

Hingis has already said she doesn8217;t want to be playing at Steffi Graf8217;s age, 29, and the pressure of international tennis started to take its toll last year.

But she says she is still hungry for Grand Slam titles and the number one ranking.

8220;Records are great but it would be great to show I can stay at the top. Funnily, losing my number one spot has helped me. I8217;ve got a new challenge,8221; said the superstitious Hingis who always skips over tennis court lines.

Story continues below this ad

She has already made an amazing mark in her single-minded pursuit of excellence.

At 12 she became the youngest-ever Grand Slam junior winner in the 1993 Roland Garros tournament, replacing Jennifer Capriati.

In 1995, she became the youngest woman player in the Open era, which stretches back to 1968, to win a singles match at the Australian Open when she was just 14.

In March, 1997, Hingis became the youngest ever World Number One at16 years and six months, and in June that year she became the second youngest U S Championship winner at 16 years and 11 months, two months older than Tracy Austin in 1979.

Story continues below this ad

Triumphs at Wimbledon and in the Australian and US Opens that year made her one of only six players to win three or more Grand Slams in a calendar year. She also became the first woman to earn three million dollars in a season.

Last year at 17 she became the youngest player to successfully defend a Grand Slam singles title in the Open era when she retained her Australian Open title.