Hingis Facing a ‘New’ Novotna

The old Jana Novotna used to get, oh, a little tight.

“She never chokes . . . well, she did against Steffi [Graf],” said Martina Hingis, laughing about Novotna’s collapse in the 1993 Wimbledon final.

The new Jana Novotna, reigning Wimbledon champion, frightens the opposition.

“I do feel that way,” Novotna said. “I think it’s pretty obvious. The tournament I was playing after Wimbledon, I was very tired. I was playing on clay in Prague. I could really feel the players are afraid to beat me.”

The old Martina Hingis had the teenage arrogance that winning was inevitable. “I just somehow was always too confident,” she said.

The new, somewhat humbled, Martina Hingis is clinging to her No. 1 position.

“Well, I feel good now, so don’t take that away from me,” she said.

One woman who could take it away is the third-seeded Novotna in the women’s semifinals today at the U.S. Open. If the top-seeded and defending champion Hingis loses to the 29-year-old Novotna, Novotna could become No. 1.

The other factor is second-seeded Lindsay Davenport of Newport Beach, who will play fifth-seeded and 1997 U.S. Open finalist Venus Williams in the second semifinal. Davenport, who has reached the semifinals in four of the last five Grand Slam events, becomes No. 1 if she beats Williams and Novotna in the final.

The semifinals feature intriguing matchups. Novotna and Hingis, who are doubles partners, have each won a Grand Slam event. Novotna’s victory at Wimbledon in July was her first Grand Slam title--as she beat Hingis in the semifinals and Nathalie Tauziat of France in the final.

“Against Jana, I feel pretty good,” Hingis, 17, said. “I want that revenge back.”

Hingis, who won the Australian Open in January and three Grand Slam events last year, is 6-3 against Novotna.

Neither Davenport nor Williams has won a Grand Slam event. Williams, 18, has not been to a Grand Slam final since losing to Hingis here last year.

“I think I’m wiser,” Williams said. “I make more intelligent decisions. I’m able to really fight out there. Last year, I played well also. There’s nothing more I could have done.”

Davenport, 22, has come within a set of reaching a Grand Slam final twice in 1998, at the Australian Open and the French Open.

Almost every match between Williams and Davenport is hard-fought. Davenport leads the series, 4-1, but four of the five have gone three sets.

“I hate to put so much pressure on one match, ‘This is it. This is my chance to get to the finals of the Open,’ ” Davenport said.

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As expected, Todd Martin and Jan-Michael Gambill were selected to play for the United States in the Davis Cup semifinals against Italy, Sept. 25-27, at Milwaukee. Also on the team are Jim Courier, who has been sidelined because of dead-arm syndrome, and Justin Gimelstob, who will probably play doubles.

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Sixteen-year-old Serena Williams said she intended to play with an American in the mixed-doubles event at the Open. But she stuck with the guy who helped her win Wimbledon, 21-year old Max Mirnyi of Belarus, and they added the U.S. Open title to their collection, defeating Lisa Raymond and Patrick Galbraith, 6-2, 6-2. The pair will split $120,000 for the victory.

“He’s going to take the trophy, and I’ll take the check,” Williams said.

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Today’s Women’s Semifinals

* Martina Hingis (1) vs. Jana Novotna (3)

* Venus Williams (5) vs. Lindsay Davenport (2)