Experience proves too strong against youths once again© Michael Cecilio
Sep 28, 1998
It's the classic struggle between experience versus youth, at least in the world of women's tennis. And as the trend for the past year has followed, experience has almost always prevailed. It prevailed at Wimbledon and it prevailed at the French. And now it prevailed at the Fed Cup. The battle for tennis supremacy ensued in Geneva, Switzerland, with the veteran Spanish team of Arantxa Sanchez Vicario and Conchita Martinez, pitted against the Swiss Misses, 17 year old Martina Hingis and 19 year old Patty Schnyder. With the Swiss gaining home court advantage, obviously the odds were against the Spaniards, playing against a partisan crowd and in addition a surface which probably did not suit them to the best of their ability (a fast Greenset Harcourt)
It was an interesting showdown from the beginning. Anyone who follows women's tennis can tell you that there is huge competition between the up-and-comers against the veterans in tennis. Martina Hingis proved there was something left to be said about the youth in tennis as she stormed past both of her singles opponents in straight sets. However, experience played its part over Patty Schnyder, a relative newcomer to Fed Cup play, as she lost both of her singles matches (nevertheless in thrilling three set instalments). Perhaps the most notable point of the Fed Cup final was the fact that Spain was in a "must-win" situation, when they were down 2-1 after Hingis' straight set win over Sanchez Vicario on the second day. Conchita Martinez was set the task to win against Patty Schnyder in the second reverse singles rubber, or otherwise hand over to Switzerland their first Fed Cup title in history. What came to close elimination became victory for Martinez! With the rubber tied at a set apiece, Schnyder and Martinez showed no signs of conceding in a very important match, as both took their tennis to new heights - and in the process, extended the deciding set to a 16-game showdown!!! Martinez clinched victory by the skin of her teeth with a 9-7 victory in the third. And so the decider came to the doubles. Although Martina Hingis is the #1 in doubles, Patty Schnyder perhaps was unable to match it up as well as her partner, and hence, lost in an anti-climatic 6-0 6-2 defeat. Once again, Spain clinched another Fed Cup title. KB Fed Cup Final
Geneva, Switzerland
Surface: Hardcourt (GreenSet)
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