Martina Hingis's tentative return to competitive tennis had been a smashing success so far as she led the New York Sportimes into Schenectady for a matchup with the New York Buzz. Between singles, doubles, and mixed, Hingis impressively won 11 of her first 12 sets, most by lopsided scores. Most striking was a televised 5-0 singles romp over Martina Navratilova in which the 24-year-old looked fit and sharp enough for an immediate return to the WTA Tour. Hingis remains evasive when asked about a full fledged comeback, but her results with the Sportimes should do little to discourage her.

The imposing presence of a 5-time Grand Slam champion may not have been enough to sell out MVP Stadium (ticket prices ranging from $30 to $40 resulted in quite a few empty seats), but it meant an uphill battle for the hometown Buzz. Potentially overmatched even at full strength, the Buzz were without the services of doubles ace Bryanne Stewart, currently nursing an injury and not expected back for a week or so. Taking her place is lanky veteran Janet Lee, who should be somewhat familiar to Schenectady tennis fans. Lee played in the semifinals of a USTA challenger on the very same court last summer.

First set: men's doubles -- Crabb/Vahaly vs. Kendrick/Merklein

The first game of the evening went to deuce, a winner-take-all "game point" in the WTT scoring format. Sensing a big opportunity early, Sportimes coach Joe Guiliano yelled to Mark Merklein, "C'mon Merk! Let it rip, buddy!" Merklein never had the chance, as Brian Vahaly aced him to hold for 1-0. Fiery blonde Robert Kendrick double faulted away the following game and furiously slammed his racquet. The momentum was with the home squad early as Vahaly and Jaymon Crabb strolled to a 3-1 lead. Kendrick came to life in Game 5, striking three winners in a break of Vahaly's serve. "Kendo" immediately gave the break back, however, and Crabb served out a 5-2 win of the opening set.

OVERALL SCORE: BUZZ 5, SPORTIMES 2

Second set: women's singles -- Evie Dominikovic vs. Martina Hingis

Martina Hingis set the tone right off the bat, sneaking into net on the first point and knocking off a swinging forehand volley. Hingis broke an obviously nervous Evie Dominikovic at love in that first game, then cracked a second serve ace en route to holding for 2-0. Moving her opponent around with trademark aplomb, Hingis easily broke again for a 3-0 advantage. Buzz coach Jolene Watanabe wisely jogged onto the court at this point, putting a hand on Dominikovic's shoulder and saying words encouraging enough to get a smile out of the overwhelmed Aussie.

Finally getting into a bit of a groove, Dominikovic earned a 15-40 chance against the Swiss star, but failed to convert. Hingis could almost taste a "bagel" when Game 5 went to deuce, but Dominikovic (whose serve has been her one real weapon as a member of the Buzz) rifled an ace. Martina managed a wry smile and went about the business of serving out the set. Game 6 was another close one, but Hingis had a little too much game. An errant Dominikovic backhand on set point made it official. Getting a round of high fives from her teammates, Hingis celebrated a comfortable 5-1 victory.

Dominikovic had obvious butterflies in the early stages of her first career meeting with Hingis. "She intimidated me and I had a really slow start," Evie admitted after the match. "When I do get nervous, my feet don't move. It's kind of a shame, but hopefully I'll learn from this one if I take on another marquee player." When I asked if the chat with Coach Watanabe at 0-3 helped settle her down, Dominikovic replied, "It's all really up to me to calm down and slow down, take my time. The first three games I pretty much rushed... She was trying to calm me down and I was trying to calm myself down, but it didn't really work."

OVERALL SCORE: SPORTIMES 7, BUZZ 6

Third set: mixed doubles -- Vahaly/Dominikovic vs. Merklein/Hopkins

With the temperature hovering around 90 degrees at the start of the match, a road weary Martina Hingis decided to give the mixed doubles a miss, allowing Jenny Hopkins to take her place. "It's hot here and we travel a lot," she explained later on. "Even though it's only five games, it's still very draining in the heat and everything. I'm not used to playing every day. It was nice that Jenny could step in."

The set was a long, evenly matched affair punctuated by questionable officiating. "They've gotten hooked, too," Brian Vahaly offered while arguing one call on the Buzz's behalf. Sportimes coach Joe Guiliano agreed, saying, "It's really shocking is what it is." Another dispute later in the set had Hopkins exclaiming to the umpire, "You don't see anything!" After an early exchange of breaks against the men early on, the servers got their act together and soldiered on to a first-to-five-points tiebreak.

BV serving: Hopkins almost crashes into the stands chasing a nifty Dominikovic volley -- 1-0 BUZZ

BV: Service winner for Vahaly -- 2-0 BUZZ

MM: Vahaly's forehand lob lands just long -- 2-1 BUZZ

MM: Merklein cranks a service winner -- 2-2

ED: Dominikovic throws an ace down the T -- 3-2 BUZZ

ED: An inside-out Dominikovic forehand sails wide -- 3-3 BUZZ

JH: Merklein earns set point by putting away a smash -- 4-3 SPORTIMES

JH: Hopkins badly mis-hits an overhead and squeals in dismay -- 4-4

JH: Hopkins puts in a good first serve; Dominikovic's backhand return is long -- 5-4 SPORTIMES

OVERALL SCORE: SPORTIMES 12, BUZZ 10

Fourth set: women's doubles -- Dominikovic/Lee vs. Hingis/Hopkins

Playing doubles together for the first time, Evie Dominikovic and Janet Lee were in tough against the undefeated WTT pairing of Martina Hingis and Jenny Hopkins. The ex-girlfriend of Taylor Dent (and a former Top 60 player in her own right), Hopkins looked right at home next to Hingis, hitting some downright outrageous touch volleys. The crowd, which had been somewhat partial to the Swiss Miss in singles, made its partisanship clear here, with winners from the Sportimes greeted by only the faintest smattering of applause.

After the first four games went with serve, the "Lady Buzz" had a game point chance against Hopkins. A good rally ensued, with Hingis and Hopkins playing impressive defense at the net before Lee finally sent a backhand long to lose the game. Up 3-2, with a 15-30 edge against the Dominikovic serve in Game 6, Hingis ripped a winning return and pumped her fist. Two points later, another unforced error from Lee gave the Sportimes the break and a 4-2 cushion. A relatively weak serve is often cited as the reason Hingis couldn't come back to win major titles, but her deliveries were solid against the Buzz. She held at love to complete a 5-2 doubles win.

Dominikovic hopes her temporary partnership with Janet Lee will yield some positive results in the near future. "It's tough for her, because it was her first match in TeamTennis," Dominikovic said of Lee afterwards. "She didn't know how the rules work and whatnot. She's got a week with us and she'll get better. She's a great doubles player, so there's no reason that we can't do well in the next week."

OVERALL SCORE: SPORTIMES 17, BUZZ 12

Fifth set: men's singles -- Brian Vahaly vs. Robert Kendrick

The legend of Brian Vahaly's clutch fifth set comebacks must not have made it across the state, since the New York Sportimes looked awfully comfortable with their 5-point lead. When a court attendant asked if anyone on the team needed anything, the inimitable Coach Guiliano deadpanned, "Yeah, you got a Miller Lite? How 'bout some soup?" Guiliano, affectionately known as "Joey G," is a major character who keeps his players on their toes with his running commentary: a mix of strategy, motivation, and wisecracks. This set was no exception, as he repeatedly barked instructions to the talented but inconsistent Robert Kendrick. At one point, an exasperated Guiliano yelled, "C'mon, you gotta move your feet! Christ!" That impassioned plea got a laugh out of Martina Hingis.

Determined to pull off some more come-from-behind theatrics, Vahaly started strong against former collge All-American Kendrick, who had to save himself with some big serving. A service winner on game point got Kendrick to 1-1; an ace on a subsequent game point kept him on serve at 3-3. At 15-15 in the seventh game, Coach Guiliano instructed Kendrick to "move forward." On the very next point, Kendrick rushed the net, deftly put away a volley, and proudly pointed in Joey G's direction. A sizzling backhand pass on the next point took Kendrick to 15-40. Finishing off the break in style, Robert got to 4-3 with a wicked forehand return.

Vahaly is nothing if not gritty and he did make Kendrick work to serve it out, taking a quick a 0-30 lead. The Californian battled back to 40-30, however, and found himself one point away from a match-clinching 5-3 win. Match point saw Kendrick catch the baseline with an overhead smash. Some whistles from the stands indicated displeasure over the call, but it stood, ending Vahaly's hopes of matching the drama he produced in the Buzz's previous home matches.

FINAL SCORE: SPORTIMES 22, BUZZ 15

Martina Hingis was pretty close to spectacular in helping the Sportimes thrash their intra-state rivals. Asked by local sports anchor Dan Murphy how she did, Hingis flashed a cheeky grin and responded, "How do you think I did?" Murphy told her she'd done well and Hingis agreed. "I think I played pretty solid. I was a little tired in the beginning, but I was getting better every match. Against Evie, I knew it would be a tough match. She's been serving well. I got her playing and I needed those short points. It's just been so far, so much fun."

The Sportimes are currently ruling the Eastern Conference with a 5-0 record, which comes as no surprise to Hingis. "I always believe in everything I do. I always had faith. I didn't know all my teammates, but I knew Jenny and I knew we were gonna be a really good doubles team." Hingis continues to leave the matter of a full-time return to professional tennis up in the air, but admits, "I'm enjoying every time when I go out there, feeling better with my game." Even the Buzz fans, who lined up on court after the match for a lengthy autograph session, were kind to Hingis. "There were a lot of Schenectady people, like, cheering me on," observed Martina. "I was (thinking) OK, this is cool!" Newly enshrined Hall of Famer Jim Courier should anticipate an even cooler outpouring of support when he joins the Buzz for his only home match of the season on Wednesday, July 13th.