New season, new beginning - Page 2

Four champions, one court
It is unusual for a women’s doubles match to receive top billing in any tournament. This year’s adidas International, however, featured a very interesting first round clash between the two teams of Martina Hingis/Monica Seles and Serena Williams/Venus Williams, a match which the promoters rightfully gave top billing in their night session. Throughout the day, the match had been hyped as a must-watch. Very rarely does a match ever live up to its hype – this one did. As the four players walked out on court, it was evident that the fans were in for something very special with four of the top six players in the world with 17 grand slam singles titles to their names playing on the same court. The match was so good, and of such high quality and drama that commentators the following day could not stop lauding praise to the four players on court last night for such a wonderful performance! All this for a first round doubles match! The drama occurred after Hingis and Seles, a first-time pairing in for their toughest first assignment, led 6-4 3-6 5-2 with just one break of serve. From that point on, the Williams team kicked into high gear by putting more of their power shots into the court, making less errors. They were to retrieve the break and get into the lead at 6-5 40-30 with a match point. In fact, Venus was to hold four match points on her serve in that very game, however all were saved by some deft returning by Hingis at some very crucial stages and a number of errors from Venus’s racquet. The champions’ mettle of the Hingis and Seles team took them through to a third set tiebreak where they used all of their consistency and tenacity to edge the sisters out of a close and riveting contest 6-4 3-6 7-6(2). Hingis and Seles’s reward for all their hard work? A showdown with Lindsay Davenport and Corina Morariu (a contest which they won 7-5 6-3 on the day of writing), followed by yet another gritty contest against top seeds Lisa Raymond and Rennae Stubbs. It looks to be pretty tough work out there for the first-time pair, but it would be an amazing win if they were to get through this awfully tough draw.