FULL VERSION 1996 - Seles vs Davenport - Peters Sydney International

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Tournament Copyrights -
© 1996 Tennis Australia Limited (TA)
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Commentary / Broadcast Copyrights -
© Seven Network (Australia)
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Rad to the Power of Cool Copyrights -
© PertSnergleman™ Channel
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Thank you for your gracious use of this classic match!

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PertSnergleman's Review:
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Monica Seles displayed all the qualities of a true champion to haul in the courageous Lindsay Davenport in the final of the International at White City, the second title in three attempts for Seles since her comeback last year.

At its height, the world's co-ranked No 1 player moved up another gear. Seles, with surgical precision, broke her opponent to love as Davenport served for the match and a $100,000 first prize. Then, at match point, 5-6 down in the second set tie-break, Seles hit a huge backhand winner to escape again.

From there she was able to claim the set, helped by a double-fault from her opponent on the penultimate point. The third set was another prolonged battle, as first Davenport, then Seles, were forced into service breaks. And this was only part of the reason why the 2hr 14min women's final secured a place as one of the tournament's all-time great contests. For not only did Seles, nursing a pulled groin muscle in her right leg, push herself to the limit, her less-acclaimed but highly-talented opponent also played the match of her young life, enthralling a packed centre-court crowd. This was tennis at its best. Tremendous shot-making, fierce determination, brilliant lunging saves, power, finesse and more.

As Seles said later, to pick the victor was a 50-50 proposition right up to the last point. Seles gave everything she had to work herself into a winning position, after trailing first by a set and 4-5, then facing a match point against her in the tie breaker. The 1.89m Davenport pressed Seles unrelentingly with her penetrating serve and well-weighted groundstrokes, com describing the 19-year-old Cali-fornian as the type of player who could "definitely" beat her. "Lindsay is a player who hits some very hard groundstrokes and some great angles, and she was serving well and hitting some great returns," Seles said. "I had to play some great tennis. We both produced some great shots out there. She's so young I think she has an amazing future. I also think she can become No 1."

Seles said she did not go into yesterday's final with the mental approach she would have liked. Without going into details, she alluded to some off-court problems, which she said affected her at the start of the match. "I shouldn't have taken them on to the court with me," she said. "But even if I had come in 100 per cent I still think the score would probably have been the same."