"Monica Seles looked like she was in pain, I was surprised she didn’t quit" - When Martina Hingis handed 9x Slam champ a devastating 6-0, 6-0 drubbing

Monica Seles is widely considered one of the greatest tennis players of all time, winning nine Grand Slam titles, eight of them as a teenager. Yet, in what could only be seen as an anamoly, she has a one-sided losing record against another former World No. 1, Martina Hingis.

Hingis and Seles met 20 times on the WTA Tour, with the Swiss icon leading 15-5 in their battles. Most of their meetings came when Seles was aging out of the sport, while Hingis was near her prime at the time.

One of their strangest encounters came at the 2000 Miami Open, where Hingis defeated an injured Seles 6-0, 6-0 -- a rare double-bagel for the Yugoslavia-born star.

Speaking at her press conference afterward, even Hingis was shocked about the nature of the fight, saying that she half expected Monica Seles to retire from the match instead of going out in such lopsided fashion.

"Well, when I saw her on the court on the other side, I saw that she wasn’t moving for some of her particular shots, she made some faces sometimes, she looked like she was in pain. That’s why I was like almost surprised she didn’t quit the game a little earlier or something. I was like, “Maybe she’ll do it.” But I still have to play very well and stay focused. If I just let a little bit go, I’m sure she’d come back because she was very aggressive," Hingis said.

Martina Hingis, in fact, stated her belief that anyone other than Seles would have retired halfway through the match because of the foot injury that was hampering her.

Regardless, the Swiss icon was glad to get the win and move on to the final in Miami, where she eventually took down Lindsay Davenport to lift the title.

"I mean, I heard two days ago she started saying that her foot wasn’t okay. Well, I’m sure somebody else in her place wouldn’t even step out on court. Sometimes, you know, other things, you know, happen. When I was on court, I almost felt like after the first set or something she’s going to retire. Then she just kept on playing."

"I was like, “Well, nobody else would do that, definitely to finish a match when they wouldn’t be a hundred percent.” Yeah, I didn’t let her into the game. I think I played very smart, very well. I’m pretty pleased with having a win like this going into the finals," Martina Hingis said.

"I’m sure Monica Seles felt pain in her foot or something" - Martina Hingis

French Open, Roland Garros 1998 - Source: Getty

At the press conference, Martina Hingis also spoke about her game plan against Monica Seles, saying that he usually had an upper hand against her if she played her calm and composed game.

At the same time, she admitted their battle in Miami was not a glowing example of their battles, especially with the 9-time Slam champ seriously hampered.

"I just have to play my game against everybody. It’s been paying off pretty much so far this season, so far in my career. Especially today, in these windy conditions, you just can’t go for that much, as Monica went today. I’m sure she felt pain in her foot or something."

"She tried to keep the ball shorter and try not to have to run too much. To be patient is very important, better conditions than today, just the whole tournament," Martina Hingis said.

Interestingly, the final match-up between Hingis and Seles came in 2002 at the US Open, where Seles won in straight sets.