FOR THE AGES: HINGIS, 16, MAKES HISTORY WITH TITLE.

Byline: Daily News Wire Services

A set down, Martina Hingis had Jana Novotna exactly where she wanted her.

Hingis employed the tennis version of rope-a-dope Saturday, letting Novotna exhaust herself with charges to the net, patiently waiting for the chance to punch back untouchable shots, and becoming, at 16, the youngest player to win Wimbledon since 1887.

Floating lightly on court, Hingis dismantled Novotna 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 with a poise and savvy far beyond her years. She absorbed Novotna's punishing volleys, overcame the frustrations of a flat, timid start, then showed the kind of all-court attack that an increasingly weary Novotna couldn't overcome.

``It might be that maybe I'm too young to win this title,'' said Hingis, who captured her first Grand Slam championship at the Australian Open in January and reached the French Open final last month. If Hingis had not fallen off a horse and torn a knee ligament a month before the French, she might be three-quarters of the way through a Grand Slam sweep.

``At the finals at the French Open, I just knew I wasn't in great shape,'' she said. ``This time it's like I could do it.''

The 28-year-old Novotna wanted to make everyone forget her history of choking: her frantic capitulation one point from a 5-1, third-set lead in the 1993 Wimbledon final against Steffi Graf; the collapse at 5-0 and match point in the third set against Chanda Rubin in the 1995 French; the loss to Graf in the '95 Wimbledon semifinals after again taking the first set.

But everyone at Centre Court on Saturday, most of all Hingis, remembered Novotna's vulnerability when she is winning big matches, and her loss had a sense of inevitability about it even when she led by a set.

Though clearly the sympathetic favorite of the fans, who vividly recalled her sobbing on the Duchess of Kent's shoulder during the trophy presentation four years ago, the only question about Novotna would be the manner in which she would lose and the excuses she would give.

``It was a pulled abdominal stomach muscle,'' Novotna said. ``At the beginning of the match it was really good. I felt like, if I keep on serving like that, and if I have no pain, then everything should be fine.

``But, unfortunately, it didn't last. I had a little pain in the beginning of the second set, and it was getting worse and worse as the match progressed. So I knew I would have to be extremely lucky, and Martina would have to make a lot of mistakes for me to win that match.''

At various times this tournament, Novotna claimed her knees hurt, she had a sore arm, her right quadriceps bothered her, and she had a pulled stomach muscle. For someone in such dire shape, she raced incredibly around the court against Hingis throughout the match.

Certainly none of those injuries were evident in a first set of acrobatic volleys and strong serves as Novotna, who moved up to No. 2 in the rankings behind Hingis, played as brilliantly as she ever has on Centre Court.

Nor did Novotna look particularly slower or in pain in the second set. Rather, it was Hingis raising her game, finding the lines, and breaking her for a 4-2 lead that turned around the match.

Novotna dug herself into trouble in that game, netting an easy half-volley with Hingis behind the baseline on the first point. At deuce, Hingis slugged a backhand return that Novotna volleyed into the net. Hingis then broke her with a forehand pass off Novotna's volley.

Hingis held serve the rest of the set despite a fair amount of gamesmanship by Novotna, who strolled around behind the baseline, her back to the court as she made Hingis wait to serve. Novotna, who didn't waste time before her own serve, used the tactic the rest of the match, though to little effect. Hingis showed her annoyance at times, but kept her temper in check, except for one display of petulance.

Novotna, chipping and charging on Hingis' soft serves, broke for a 2-0 lead when Hingis sprayed a backhand wide on break point. Hingis flung her racket on the turf, got another, and broke right back, smacking a volley winner off Novotna's volley at break point.

That was the first of five straight games Hingis won, three of them breaks. Novotna's first-serve accuracy dropped from 73 percent in the opening set to 46 percent in the third set, when she also hit all four of her double-faults. Novotna's game is built around her serve, and when that went, so did the match.

KID STUFF

The boxscore Saturday of No. 1 Martina Hingis' 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 victory over No. 3 Jana Novotna in the women's championship at Wimbledon.

Hingis Novotna

Aces 2 2

Service Winners 17 14

Double Faults 1 4

1st Serve Percentage 67 57

Percent 1st Serve Points Won 59 61

Break Points 5-11 4-9

Return Points Won 40 40

Net Points 27-40 72-127

Total Points Won 94 92

Time of Match 1:50

CAPTION(S):

2 Photos, Chart

PHOTO (1--color) ``It might be that I am maybe too young to win this title,'' Martina Hingis said after displaying the women's title trophy. ``I think when I stand there, there was a great atmosphere out there, the crowd was just unbelievable, and I feel this was one of my biggest chances to win this tournament.''

(2) Maybe that face works around the house, but it didn't get Martina Hingis a call during her title match against Jana Novotna.

Associated Press 

Chart: KID STUFF (see text)