EASTBOURNE, Great Britain - Martina Hingis was thankful for the contribution of her playing partner, Chan Yung-Jan, after the pair won the Aegon International doubles title in Eastbourne on Saturday.
Victory over Australian pair Ashleigh Barty and Casey Dellacqua brought Hingis and Chan their fifth title of 2017 and the trophy was also Hingis' 60th WTA doubles prize.
"My partner was really on fire today," Hingis, who had felt unwell on the morning of the match, said. "It felt like I just needed to stand there on court, she was firing right and left!
"She was playing really great and I hope we can take the [form of] the last two weeks into Wimbledon."
The success was Hingis' second doubles title at Eastbourne, having also lifted the crown there in 1999, with Anna Kournikova. She also made the final in 2014, partnering Flavia Pennetta - but lost to Chan, who was playing with her sister and Chinese Taipei compatriot Chan Hao-Ching.
Chan was playing in her fourth consecutive doubles final at the venue, the 2014 success followed by two defeats, alongside Zheng Jie in 2015 and her sister again 12 months ago.
"Since we started playing together, every match we played has been getting better and better," she continued. "I'm sure if I [was] the one who didn't feel so well, she would be the one covering on the grass, so we're just covering each other every single match."
Hingis has won the women's doubles at Wimbledon three times - in 1996, 1998 and 2015 - and Chan hopes the Swiss player's fourth title coincides with her first.
"I'm happy that we win another title right before Wimbledon. Now we have a couple of days off and we'll be ready for Wimbledon."
The pair, seeded third, open their campaign against Frenchwoman Alizé Cornet and Xenia Knoll, also of Switzerland.
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