Yeah, Adrian-I remember that. Im not much of a Hingis fan, but I remember Martina saying she did it for cultural reasons, she wanted to visit that area, and she just loved being at that tournament. I thought to myself, Isn't that what matters most?
So, yeah, now it has a bit more prestige, and I wonder why? It had more prestige because Martina was NOT afraid to play it, she raised awareness of tennis in other areas. So Martina was a pioneer of sorts for that tournament.