Tuesday, 20 February, 2007

Martina Hingis' participation in the doubles competition at the WTA Dubai Tennis Championships ended after a straight-sets first-round defeat on Tuesday.

The 26-year-old and her partner Maria Kirilenko went down 6-2 6-4 to Janette Husarova and Kveta Peschke in the United Arab Emirates.

Hingis, the 2001 singles champion in Dubai, is the fourth seed in this year's individual event and has received a bye into the second round.

She reached the quarter-finals in 2006 before losing to Maria Sharapova, who is not entered, and is looking to improve on that performance this year.

"It's a great field with (Justine) Henin and (Svetlana) Kuznetsova and as always I will aim to just really enjoy the moment," Hingis told www.dubaitennischampionships.com.

"It will be a great event with great matches. Dubai is a great place, you can feel the energy of the city, and it is constantly on the move."

www.dubaitennischampionships.com(Dubai Championship's official website)

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