ROUNDUP | News and notes

Hingis still fan favorite: Martina Hingis' three-year retirement from tennis did little to dent her star status in Australia. Hingis always has felt at home here, especially on the Australian Open's center court, where she's won three titles in six finals and become a crowd favorite. On Wednesday, the former No. 1-ranked Swiss star was back on the main court, this time in what could have been described as a matchup between two honorary Aussies. Hingis was up against Kim Clijsters -- whose relationship with Australia's Lleyton Hewitt saw her become known as "Aussie Kim" in local media -- in a quarterfinal. And the fans were loving it. When Hingis fell behind 4-0 in the first set, the capacity center-court crowd rallied behind her, cheering loudly. Although Hingis fought her way back, it was Clijsters who advanced to the semifinals with a 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 win. Hingis, however, had plenty to smile about. Not least the support she's received. "It's nice the welcome I've always had here in Australia," said the five-time Grand Slam winner, who had beaten local hope Samantha Stosur in the fourth round.
Making history: Yan Zi and Zheng Jie have become the first Chinese players to qualify for a Grand Slam final. Yan and Zheng advanced to the women's doubles championship at the Australian Open with a 6-2, 7-6 (2), win over Shinobu Asagoe of Japan and Katarina Srebotnik of Slovenia on Wednesday. The Chinese pair, seeded 12th, will play the top-seeded team of Lisa Raymond of the United States and Samantha Stosur of Australia in Friday's final. Yan and Zheng won doubles titles together last year at Hobart, Australia, and Hyderabad, India.
Kim No. 1: Since Chris Evert became No. 1 in women's tennis when rankings began in 1975, 14 other players have taken the top spot, including Kim Clijsters after Wednesday's quarterfinal win over Martina Hingis. Clijsters moved to No. 1 for the first time in August 2003 for 10 weeks (when she also held the No. 1 doubles ranking), lost it for a week to Belgian compatriot Justine Henin-Hardenne and then retook it for another two weeks before again losing it to Henin-Hardenne. Lindsay Davenport held the top spot for all but seven weeks in 2005, and for 15 in a row from Oct. 24. She relinquished the top ranking in a quarterfinal loss Tuesday to Henin-Hardenne. Steffi Graf held the No. 1 ranking longest -- for 377 weeks, followed by Martina Navratilova with 331 and Evert with 262. Next up is Hingis at 209 and Monica Seles at 178. The recent parity in women's tennis is highlighted by the fact that those five women dominated the No. 1 spot for the first 25 years the rankings were issued, holding the top spot for a total of 1,357 weeks. Davenport has held it for 98 weeks in seven stints since Oct. 12, 1988, but she only one of eight women who have held the top spot since 2001. Serena Williams has spent 57 weeks on top. Following her third-round loss at the Australian Open as defending champion, she will drop to No. 39 or 40 when the new rankings come out next week.
Kim No. 1: Since Chris Evert became No. 1 in women's tennis when rankings began in 1975, 14 other players have taken the top spot, including Kim Clijsters after Wednesday's quarterfinal win over Martina Hingis. Clijsters moved to No. 1 for the first time in August 2003 for 10 weeks (when she also held the No. 1 doubles ranking), lost it for a week to Belgian compatriot Justine Henin-Hardenne and then retook it for another two weeks before again losing it to Henin-Hardenne. Lindsay Davenport held the top spot for all but seven weeks in 2005, and for 15 in a row from Oct. 24. She relinquished the top ranking in a quarterfinal loss Tuesday to Henin-Hardenne. Steffi Graf held the No. 1 ranking longest -- for 377 weeks, followed by Martina Navratilova with 331 and Evert with 262. Next up is Hingis at 209 and Monica Seles at 178. The recent parity in women's tennis is highlighted by the fact that those five women dominated the No. 1 spot for the first 25 years the rankings were issued, holding the top spot for a total of 1,357 weeks. Davenport has held it for 98 weeks in seven stints since Oct. 12, 1988, but she only one of eight women who have held the top spot since 2001. Serena Williams has spent 57 weeks on top. Following her third-round loss at the Australian Open as defending champion, she will drop to No. 39 or 40 when the new rankings come out next week.
Animal house: You never can tell what critters you'll see while walking around the Melbourne Park grounds at the Australian Open. On Wednesday, two men dressed as snails were drawing the attention of amateur and professional photographers. Dressed in black bodysuits, their faces painted silver and with green plastic coils on their backs, they played ukuleles as a Japanese television crew filmed them. A few days ago, it was a pair of people dressed as 8-foot kangaroos pausing for photos. The costumes included springs in the feet so the men could hop around like the real thing. It's all part of the non-tennis entertainment in Garden Square, which features a huge television to monitor the on-court action and a stage for live music.
Associated Press