Hingis is forced out

Martina Hingis withdrew from the German Open with a painful left foot yesterday to protect her hopes of winning the French Open.

The former world No1 remains convinced she still can win the only Grand Slam to elude her and said: "All week I had to practise with painkillers, so my first priority now is to find out what the problem is."

Hingis will undergo tests and modify her practice if necessary. She has always been careful to control the physical pressures in the build-up to the world's most exhausting tournament, and with one of her major rivals for the title, Venus Williams, back home in the United States with a strained achilles, it makes sense to do so.

But the Eurocard Open here in Berlin is strong enough to prosper without Hingis, with Jennifer Capriati, Kim Clijsters and Serena Williams all competing. One person who won't be challenging, however, is the No12 seed Elena Dementieva of Russia, defeated in three sets yesterday by a local hero, Angelika Roesch.

Roesch, from East Berlin, trailed 3-1 in the deciding set, but recovered to record a 6-4, 1-6, 7-5 success, much to the delight of the partisan home crowd.

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