Sanchez Vicario beats Schnyder, Hingis beats Martinez

It's back to deuce for Switzerland and Spain.

Each country snared a singles match in Saturday's Fed Cup finals action, with Spain's Arantxa Sanchez Vicario beating Patty Schnyder, and Switzerland's Martina Hingis subduing Conchita Martinez.

It heralds a showdown in Sunday's reverse singles matches, when Sanchez Vicario plays Hingis, and Schnyder plays Martinez. Doubles will follow, with the Spanish veterans squaring off against the Swiss teens.

Relying on her experience and trademark tenacity, Sanchez Vicario battled past Patty Schnyder 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 to give Spain a 1-0 lead. Hingis, the world's No. 1 player, posted a solid 6-4, 6-4 win over Martinez, to offset it. <?P>

Schnyder started nervously in front of 10,000 cowbell-clanging supporters. She fought back to take the second set, but Sanchez Vicario, the world's No. 4-ranked player, won in style by taking the final six games.

Sanchez Vicario displayed the cool of a battle-hardened Fed Cup veteran who has led Spain into the final seven of the last eight years, winning four of them.

"It's important to win the first point, it's always a big help to the player in the second match," said Sanchez Vicario after the two-hour, 25-minute match. "The longer a match goes, the better it is for me, but the key was that I decided to concentrate more and attack in the third set."

Pounding away at the 19-year-old Swiss from the baseline, Sanchez Vicario had looked ready to roll to an easy win, breaking Schnyder twice in the opening set to take a 5-1 lead.

But after dropping her opening serve of the second and falling behind 2-0, Schnyder finally began to settle down and play up to her No. 9 ranking, breaking back at 2-1.

Basking in crowd support, Schnyder, the winner of five tournaments this season, wrestled control of the match away from Sanchez Vicario, getting the decisive break when the French Open champion double-faulted at 5-3.

She took the second set and the momentum, breaking the Spaniard's opening serve in the third to move ahead 2-0. But Sanchez Vicario responded, sweeping the next six games to take the match.

"In the second I gave it all and with the crowd behind me," said Schnyder, near tears. "I took the second, but in the third I was just too tired.'

Top-ranked Martina Hingis meets Conchita Martinez in Saturday's second singles match.  

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