Hingis cruises through

Eighth seed Martina Hingis trounced Meilen Tu 6-2 6-3 to advance to the third round of the Acura Classic.

Hingis was playing her first match since losing to Japan's Ai Sugiyama in the third round at Wimbledon last month.

A two-time champion at this US Open warm-up hard court event, she encountered little trouble disposing of the 91st-ranked American qualifier in 66 minutes.

"Coming off a long lay-off, it's never easy," Hingis said. "You feel like you can train forever, but once you play, you feel the rust.

"It's getting to know what to do out there, to construct the points out.

"I didn't play my best tennis, but I know it will come with matches, hopefully. I know I can still get better than what I played today, but it was a solid performance. It was a good win; every one is a good one."

Hingis returned to the WTA Tour at the start of the year following a 40-month lay-off due to nagging foot injuries. The five-time grand slam champion, who held the number one ranking for 209 consecutive weeks, explained the reasons behind her comeback.

"It's a combination of proving something to myself, and also the game itself," she said.

"I always try to get better, although sometimes it's hard when you wake up in the morning and you'd rather stay in bed. Your body is sore, but you know you have to try to dig in deep.

"Those are the days where you know why you're doing it and have to remind yourself. The joy of it comes back when you win and hold up the trophy."