Hingis, 'the Swiss Miss', was the winner in Zurich in 2000

The fifth-seeded Hingis, making her comeback on Swiss soil, took the first set in only 21 minutes.

Despite winning the first three games, the second set was a much closer affair until Hingis broke her German opponent in the 12th game to seal the victory.

Later on Monday, Slovenia's Katarina Srebotnik beat two-time Grand Slam winner Mary Pierce of France 6-3 7-5.

Hingis, who still needs to secure a berth for the season-ending WTA Championship next month, is seeking her third WTA title since returning from a three-year retirement.

Hingis, looking back on her comeback year with satisfaction, said: "If somebody had asked me if I was going to be in the top 10 at the end of the year I'd have thanked them with a hand kiss."

The Swiss added: "Just playing great matches against the top five players in general was a great achievement for me. I felt I still had it in me and I proved it."

The match marked Hingis' first appearance at the Zurich Open in six years. She reached the final in 1996 and 1999 and won in 2000.

Zurich is the last big event before the WTA Championship in Madrid, Spain. Only the top eight players in the WTA rankings qualify for the tournament, and Hingis is currently eighth.

The top three seeds in Zurich - Amelie Mauresmo, Maria Sharapova and Svetlana Kuznetsova - have already qualified, but fourth-seeded Elena Dementieva, sixth-seeded Patty Schnyder and Nicole Vaidisova are still vying for spots.