WIMBLEDON, July 5: Tennis is all about peaks and valleys. There it was, one hitting the peak at the start and then deteriorating progressively, while the other began from the valley and climbed her way right on top to become the youngest winner of the Wimbledon ladies' title this century. Coming to think of it, Jana Novotna perhaps had a huge chance to pull it off. However, Martina Hingis showed why she is a world champion at 16. A subtle change of tactics changed the momentum her way, as she won 2-6, 6-3, 6-3.

The $ 373,000 winner's cheque would be a rather soothing feeling for Hingis, but more than that it was the admirable way in which she turned the match around when the 28-year-old Novotna looked at top, taking the first set in 22 minutes. Hingis was just not able to get into the match.

The Czech played the serve and volley game to perfection, reeling off the first four games in a jiffy, as Hingis could win just one point on her first two service games. But Hingis, showing a maturity far beyond her years, slowly but surely snatched the game away from her opponent.

In the end, after the presentation ceremony, Novotna mockingly grabbed the winner's trophy away from Hingis, to raise some cheer in what turned out to be a very dismal day for the Czech.

Novotna began on an incredible high and it was always known that she would find it difficult to maintain that level. After being hopelessly outplayed in the first set, Hingis' climb began in the sixth game of the second set when Novotna, holding game point, allowed Hingis enough space to drill a couple of backhand winners down the line. After that break of serve, Hingis had a foot on the door and soon she was using her shoulder to push it wide open.

That was where the Swiss maiden's change of tactics began to take shape. She began to serve and volley, thus displaying an hitherto unknown facet of her game. Whenever she got to the net, Novotna was put under tremendous pressure because she had to pass Hingis to win the point. Novotna used the backhand slice deep into Hingis' court in a desperate bid to keep Hingis at the baseline.

Novotna had tremendous opportunities to turn the game her way again when Hingis was serving for the set in the ninth game of the second. Up three set points, she was soon facing three break points but the unfortunate part of Novotna's game was her seeming inability to close out the game. Novotna sort of came to terms with Hingis' down-the-line bombshell only to see the teenager coming up with the backhand cross court returns, which began to demolish her lasting dream of a Wimbledon title.

Hingis held after five dueces and soon Novotna called for a trainer who gave her some pills. It is not known whether it was her knee, which forced her to withdraw from the doubles, or the stomach muscle.

That, however, did not take the credit away from Hingis who played a brilliant cerebral game and towards the end it was an embarrasment to watch Novotna groping around, unable to find a solution to the 16-year-old's strategy.

In the third set Novotna just could not hold serve. Serving for the match in the eight, Novotna, like the proverbial last flicker, broke Hingis at 15 to extend the match, and may be the agony.

In the very next game, the ninth, the story was same all over again, when on the second match point, Hingis' trademark crosscourt winner drove the final nail.

``She didn't give me much opportunities in the first set. I don't think I played badly but she was playing extremely well and I thought she was going to run away with the match,'' Hingis said.

RAMESH IN FINAL: Ramesh Krishnan and Jeremy Bates stormed into the final of the over-35 event defeating Gary Donnell (US) and Danie Visser (SA) 3-6, 6-1, 7-5.

They were down two match points in the 10th game of the final set on Bates' serve. But they held on and then broke Visser at 15. Ramesh served out the match in style.

The duo will next meet Kevin Curren and Johan Kriek (USA) who defeated John Fitzgerald (Australia) and Anders Jarryd (Swe) in straight sets 6-3, 7-6 (7).

Sampras, Pioline in final

On Friday, world number one and three-times champion Pete Sampras celebrated American Independence Day in style today by reaching the Wimbledon singles final after gunning down Australian Todd Woodbridge in straight sets.

The top seed won 6-2, 6-1, 7-6 (7-3) in a one-sided affair.

Sampras now plays Frenchman Cedric Pioline, who needed treatment to his shoulder in the second set while beating 1991 champion Michael Stich 6-7 (2/7), 6-2, 6-1, 5-7, 6-4 in a tense and dramatic centre-court marathon which lasted for 178 minutes.