MELBOURNE. Feb l(AFP): Martina Hingis celebrated her Australian Open triumph by watching the mo-

vie ’Titanic" and it will take a disaster of similar proportions to knock her off course this year.

A special private showing of the blockbuster was organised for Hingis and some friends at a Melbourne Casino on Saturday night after her straight sets victory over Conchita Martinez of Spain.

The 17-year-old had been wanting to watch the three-and-a-half hour movie for the past two weeks but it would nave kept her up too late.

She needed the rest. Hingis said getting the Australian Open for a second straight time had been the toughest of her four Grand Slam titles.

There was no doubling wno

was the queen of the Melbourne Park, but she must now go on to the Pan Pacific WTA tournament in Tokyo knowing the pressures will only increase.

Former world number ones Steffi Graf and Monica Seles were not in Melbourne, but they loom as icebergs in her path. Hingis insisted though that the Australian Open was a major breakthrough for the teen play-

On top of the women's singles crown. Hingis won the women's doubles with 15-year-old Croat Mirjana Lucic. Seven-teen-year-old Venus Williams got her first Grand Slam title in the mixed doubles with fellow-American Justin Gimelstob.

"At this tournament you could really see what the young players can achieve, how good they are." said Hingis, adding her third round tie against the 16-year-old Russian. Anna Kournikova, had been toughest of tiie two weeks.

"I was playing Grand Slam doubles with Mirjana for the first time and we won it right away. So it was a big effort. Kournikova gave me a hard time in the singles and everybody knows that the Williams sisters can play.

"I think in the future you are really going to see how tennis has changed." said Hingis.

It has become almost a second nature for the Swiss teenager to win and break records. She was the youngest player to retain a Grand Slam title and is going to make a determined effort to win all four majors this year.

"I'm kind of proud of myself, what I did Saturday and in

these two weeks." she said.

But Hingis is sensitive about the threat from Seles and Graf, sidelined with personal and injury problems.

Hingis said she did not care that Graf would not be in Tokyo this week after pulling out of another planned comeback because of her injured left knee.

"It doesn t really matter to me and it's probably a little disappointing lor her. not for me. because I know how hard it is to come back.

She has been away out of tennis for a long time so it is more disappointing for her that she cannot play."

Hingis also defended her record against the two tennis legends.

"Against Monica, when she was playing her best tennis. 1 beat her. I beat her all the time.

1 never lost to her. so I was able to play better than she did at that time.

"Most of the time I played in the finals, or the semi-final at the French Open, so I don't think that was a bad effort.

"As for Steffi. I just couldn't play her for over a year, so that is probably a bit disappointing.

"1 would love to play her again. But when she comes back it's probably not going to be the same any more as she was on a high. But It’s definitely going to be interesting for me to see tier on the other side again."

The extent of the challenge posed by fellow teens she can assess from having played them so often. Graf and Seles are unknown quantities now and means that Hingis cannot afford to feel that she is unsinkable.