FRANKFURT, Dec 8: Anke Huber of Germany battled five sets for an upset of top favourite and World No 1 Martina Hingis in the final of the first Masters of Champions tennis tournament yesterday.

The match, Huber's only tournament win this season, started off as expected with the 17-year-old Hingis rushing off to a 6-2 first set win.

Huber pulled even taking the second set 6-3, with Hingis bouncing back with a 6-2 third set, and Huber winning the fourth with the identical result as Hingis appeared to be tiring.

Then the battle started.

Hingis held her serve in the first game of the fifth set, then broke Huber's serve in the second game at zero, with the help of one of many net rollers in the match, and a double-fault by Huber.

But the 23-year-old Huber, who has dropped from No 6 in world rankings to 14 this season, got a rebreak against Hingis in the 3rd game then held her own serve to tie the last set at 2-2.

Both women held their services to go to 5-5, with the volleys getting longer and the crowd loudly applauding as the two chased down shots that seemed impossible to return.

But the young Swiss star tired and in the 11th game and with the help of yet another net roller, Huber broke Hingis' service to pull ahead 6-5.

Hingis fought to come back in the last game going ahead 30-0, but Huber recovered to win the set 7-5, the match, a purse of $ 381,000 and her only tournament of the year.

Hingis, who ends the 1997 season with 79 match wins against only six losses, got $ 324,858 as the runner-up.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.