GOLD COAST, Australia: Martina Hingis' perfect record in her comeback tournament ended on Friday with a loss in the semi-finals of the Australian women's hardcourt championships - and she has a minor hip injury.

Fourth-seeded Flavia Pennetta of Italy beat the 25-year-old Hingis 1-6, 7-6 (2), 6-2 at Royal Pines, ending Hingis' three-match winning streak in her return from retirement after three years away due to foot, ankle and heal injuries.

Following the match, she announced she had pulled out of her scheduled semi-final doubles match later on Friday with partner Tatiana Golovin of Russia due to a left hip flexor strain.

Hingis plans to play in next week's Sydney International on a wildcard and the Australian Open at Melbourne beginning January 16, a tournament she has won three times.

"I've got a couple of days' rest now, so I'll just try to flush it out before next week," Hingis said of her injury. "I've got some time."

Hingis said she tried to get through the match, despite the strain.

"As a player and a competitor you try to overcome things like that and still play until the end of the match," she said. "I don't want to take anything away from Pennetta, she played a great match. I was able to compete with her.

"It was great tennis and everyone enjoyed it. You can't always expect everything to be perfect with your body when you haven't done that much in three years."

"If I was to evaluate this tournament right away, I'm very happy and very positive about what I've achieved this week," said Hingis. "I don't think anybody expected me to come out like this, so it's pretty good."

In the other singles semi-final on Friday, Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic beat third-seeded Dinara Safina of Russia 6-4, 6-2 to advance to Saturday's final against Pennetta.

Safarova beat top-seeded Patty Schnyder of Switzerland in the quarter-finals Thursday and sixth-seeded Ai Sugiyama of Japan in the first round.

Source: China Daily