Tennis: Hingis sweeps into round two

Martina Hingis enjoyed a simple victory over Italian Virginie Razzano in her first round clash at the Australian Open.

The Swiss Miss, who returned from a long-term ankle injury to win the Sydney International last week, won 6-2 6-2.

The victory kept alive hopes of a repeat of Hingis' semi-final encounter with Venus Williams last year, when she won for the loss of only two games.

It remains Williams' worst ever professional defeat, but Hingis has still not won a major title since Melbourne 1999.

"I love it every time I walk out there (on centre court)", said Hingis, who won three Australian titles from 1997-99 and has been a finalist the last two years.

"First round is always tough - you go out there and don't know what to expect. I'm happy with the start."