Generation gap
Swiss misses face Spanish vets in Fed Cup final
Posted: Friday September 18, 1998 12:50 PM
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Hingis leads a young Swiss squad against seasoned Spanish veterans like Aranxta Sanchez Vicario and Conchita Martinez AP |
GENEVA, Switzerland (AP) -- Martina Hingis has led Switzerland
out of women's tennis' third division in only three years. Now she
can take them to the absolute pinnacle.
Hingis leads Switzerland into this weekend's Fed Cup Final
against Spain, a four-time champion with all of its titles coming
since 1991. The showdown marks the first time in Fed Cup history that a team
just coming into the World Group has advanced all the way to the final.
The Swiss rest their hopes on a pair of teens, top-ranked
Hingis, 17, and 19-year-old Patty Schnyder, who has five career WTA
Tour singles titles, all this season.
"My first impression is positive," Swiss team captain and
Hingis' mother Melanie Molitor said. "Martina and Patty seem
comfortable on this court. But against Spain it's 50-50. The four in the final are all ranked in the top 10. And today the difference between them is
minimal."
Spain has reached the finals seven times in the last eight years
and boasts two veterans, No. 4-ranked Aranxta Sanchez
Vicario and No. 7 Conchita Martinez.
The best-of-five final starts Saturday with Schnyder opening
against Sanchez Vicario and Hingis taking on Martinez. The duos pair together for Sunday's doubles with reverse singles to follow.
Figuring in all four Spanish Fed Cup titles in 1991, 1993, 1994
and 1995, the Spanish veterans will wield considerable
psychological artillery. The pair displayed perseverance in their semifinal tie
against the United States in July when they battled into the night
to beat Lisa Raymond and Mary Joe Fernandez in doubles before
finally prevailing 6-4, 6-7, 11-9.
Switzerland, on the other hand, will benefit from the choice of
Surfaces, choosing the fast Greenset indoor carpet, and the
support of a 12,000-strong sellout crowd.
With her number of tournament victories dropping from 12 in 1997
to four this season, and the loss of her U.S. Open and Wimbledon
titles, Hingis is anxious to end a disappointing year with a smile.
The winner of four Grand Slams titles, Hingis' lead atop the WTA
rankings has slipped. She has watched Lindsay Davenport, who beat her in last week's U.S. Open final, move closer to the No. 1 spot. Hingis hasn't won a tournament since May, but has won her last 11 matches against Sanchez Vicario and Martinez over the past two years.
Having a better season, but less tested, is Schnyder, who has
risen from 26th to No. 9 in the WTA Tour rankings since January. With titles in Hobart, Hannover, Madrid, Maria Lankowitz and Palermo, Schnyder has a match record of 52 and 14 this year.
This is the first time for Switzerland in the Fed Cup's World
Group since 1994, yet Hingis and Schnyder strolled rather easily
into the final.
They routed the Czech Republic 4-1 in Brno for their place in
the semifinals against France, then swept aside the defending
champion 5-0. In contrast, Spain's journey was much more labored, edging past
Germany 3-2 before struggling against the Americans.
"Just getting to the final is a big success for us," said
Hingis, who flew the Concorde to Zurich from New York on Monday
after winning the U.S. Open doubles final with Jana Novotna. "It
doesn't happen everyday."
But Hingis unlikely will be satisfied with just getting to the
final. A landmark title would satisfy the teen-ager's sense of duty,
and allow Hingis to slip out of Fed Cup competition next year.
Many players find the three weeks of Fed Cup play difficult to
squeeze into an already long, packed season, and Hingis has hinted
it might not fit into her schedule next year
"It'll all depend on the weekend's outcome," she said.
Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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