Tokyo: World No. 1 Lindsay Davenport believes Martina Hingis could still make a successful return to tennis despite losing in her comeback match this week.

?I was always extremely disappointed when she stopped playing so early,? Davenport told reporters on Thursday. ?We had a nice rivalry and were very friendly off the court. I hope she comes back.?

?Ultimately I think she would be successful,? added the American, who is defending her Pan Pacific Open title in Tokyo.

Hingis, a former world No. 1, was beaten 1-6, 6-2, 6-2 by Germany?s Marlene Weingartner in Thailand on Tuesday in her first competitive match since quitting the WTA Tour in 2002.

?I was just surprised by the result,? Davenport said. ?Martina was the smartest player I ever played against and obviously she?s a great player.?

After her defeat to Weingartner in Pattaya, Hingis, 24, said she had no plans to play in any other tournaments.

?I was under the impression it was kind of the start of a comeback,? said Davenport. ?But now it seems she?s a little bit ambivalent about if she?s going to play more.?

As a 16-year-old, Hingis held the Australian Open, Wimbledon and U.S. Open titles but her dominance was ended by the emergence of sisters Venus and Serena Williams.

The Swiss won the last of her five Grand Slam titles at the 1999 Australian Open and retired in late 2002 after a series of ankle operations.

Elena Dementieva, who lists Hingis as her tennis idol, said she had been surprised by her decision to play again. ?The last time I spoke to her she said she was sick of tennis and that she was having fun without it,? the Russian said.