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Final feeling

© Michael Cecilio

Down to the wire
And then there were two.... From 128 players two weeks ago to just the final two - and the best two in the world, I might add. World #1 Martina Hingis set up a showdown with rival and world #2 Lindsay Davenport in a much anticipated match to decide who will be the first Grand Slam champion of the new millenium.

Hingis has had a much easier path to the final than Davenport, defeating three young up-and coming players in the first three rounds before facing a seed. Even as she drew the seeds in the later rounds, Hingis still whipped them soundly, defeating Testud, Sanchez-Vicario and Martinez in straight sets. While Lindsay Davenport has not dropped a set throughout the tournament - just as Hingis has done - her route to the championship match was slightly tougher. She faced a tough second round opponent in Marissa Irvin, a US collegiate champion who gave Lindsay all she could handle in two tight sets. Lindsay faced a much improved Anna Kournikova in the fourth round, and then took care of former Top 10 players Julie Halard-Decugis and Jennifer Capriati in the quarter finals and semi finals respectively.

Just as the spectators - and the world - witnessed an epic encounter between the world's best in Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras last Thursday on Rod Laver arena, the spectators and the world will be hoping for a similar outcome between the world's best on the women's side. It certainly does promise to be an intriguing and entertaining match up. Their head-to-head record slightly favours Davenport at 9-7, suggesting that it could be anyone's day on Saturday. Not only does their head-to-head record suggest that it could be an entertaining encounter, but the clash of styles will also appeal to many. Lindsay Davenport's heavy-hitting game will certainly contrast Martina Hingis's counterpunching defence for most of the match and it is really just a matter of who can execute on the day. Both are incredibly experienced and both are very confident that they can take out the title on Saturday. Unfortunately though, the sad reality is that someone has to lose.

Getting through to the final
The semi finals featured a contrast in styles: Davenport versus Capriati in a hard-hitting affair, and Hingis versus Martinez in a counterpunching encounter. Also contrasting were the conditions each match was played under - Davenport versus Capriati indoors and Hingis versus Martinez outdoors.