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Thursday January 13 5:42 AM ET
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By Julian Linden
SYDNEY (Reuters) - The simmering feud between Switzerland's Martina Hingis and the woman she once described as ``half a man'' is set to boil over again when they meet in the semifinals of the Sydney international on Friday.
Hingis upset Amelie Mauresmo before the Australian Open final last January when she made a sneering remark about the Frenchwoman's muscular frame and open lesbianism.
An unapologetic Hingis launched another attack on her rival on Thursday, saying Mauresmo still had to prove herself if she wanted to be considered a top tennis player.
``Of course she made the (Australian Open) final last year but now it will show if she can really stay at the top level,'' world number one Hingis told reporters.
``She's definitely a dangerous player...but she still has to prove herself by winning a big tournament.''
Hingis, who advanced to the semifinals in Sydney when Dominique Van Roost of Belgium retired hurt after losing the first set of their quarter-final 6-1, described her relationship with Mauresmo as ``professional.''
But the 20-year-old Frenchwoman, who finished 1999 ranked 10th in the world, said little had changed since the pair clashed in Melbourne a year ago.
``It's not like we are real good friends, you know,'' she said.
Mauresmo Downs Error-Prone Pierce
Mauresmo clinched her place in the semifinals with a comprehensive 6-2 6-3 win over Frenchwoman Mary Pierce, Hingis's new doubles partner, in 71 minutes.
Pierce showed few signs of the form that won her an Australian Open title five years ago, committing 34 unforced errors which she said contributed more to her defeat than anything Mauresmo did.
``I didn't serve well. I wasn't able to move very well. I just made a lot of mistakes and Amelie played a solid match,'' Pierce said.
American Lindsay Davenport, the world number two, also found reason to criticize her opponent on Thursday, complaining about the on-court antics of Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario after beating the veteran Spaniard 6-7 6-3 6-4.
Davenport, who also upset Mauresmo in Melbourne last year by saying she hit the ball as hard as male players, said Sanchez-Vicario had put pressure on line judges by complaining.
``She was complaining an awful lot,'' Davenport said. ''Every match you play you are going to get calls that go against you.
``A few were going against me as well but I didn't say anything.''
Davenport will play Anna Kournikova in
the semifinals after the Russian pin-up girl came from a set
behind to beat Alexandra Stevenson 4-6 6-4 6-4 in a scrappy match
punctuated by dozens of unforced errors from both players.
