 Hingis was happy with her week despite defeat to Dementieva |
Martina Hingis' bid for a first singles title since returning to tennis ended with a 6-2 6-0 loss to Elena Dementieva in the Pan Pacific Open final. Dementieva had beaten Hingis in 2002 in what turned out to be the Swiss star's last match before chronic ankle trouble forced her to retire early.
And the Russian had too much power for Hingis again in Tokyo on Sunday.
Dementieva will climb to eighth in the world after her first title since 2004, when she reached two Grand Slam finals.
 |  I've exceeded my own expectations and am happy to playing good tennis once again |
Hingis said: "I've been playing well for the last five or six weeks. I guess I just faced one Russian too many."
She shrugged off the defeat, saying she was pleased with the way her comeback after a three-year absence had gone so far.
Hingis reached the quarter-finals of the Australian Open, and beat top-seeded Maria Sharapova in Tokyo on Saturday's semi-final.
"I've exceeded my own expectations and am happy to be playing good tennis once again," said Hingis.
"I've got a couple of things I have to work on and I'll go where this takes me."
Dementieva said she hopes Sunday's win will help her towards a strong season.
"I'm happy to have played such a good game in the final," she said.
"I played very solid today and I hope this will give me confidence for the rest of the season."
MMIX
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