| Davenport Wins Chase | |
Dateline: 11/24/99
Lindsay Davenport finished a great 1999 with a convincing win Sunday over Martina Hingis to take the title in The Chase Championships, the season finale for the WTA Tour. A fast indoor court is ideal for Davenport's power game, and she had too much depth, pace, and placement for Hingis to handle. Winning easily (6-4, 6-2) in the final, and having defeated Hingis in their previous two meetings this year, Davenport gives her fans at least some grounds to argue that she, not Hingis, is the top female player. Hingis finishes the year with the tour's number one ranking, and by a substantial point margin, but she doesn't seem to have an answer against the number-two-ranked Davenport.
Finishing the year with the number three world ranking is Venus Williams, whom Hingis defeated in the Chase semifinal. Right behind Venus, at number four, is her sister Serena, followed by Mary Pierce at number five. This is particularly interesting because Hingis's closest rivals on the tour just so happen to be the four most powerful women in tennis. It's a credit to Hingis's court-smarts and finesse that she is able to hold on at number one with such physically stronger rivals.
In post-match comments, both Hingis and Davenport expressed optimism about their progress in 1999. Will Hingis be able to hold off the field of challengers in 2000? It will be, on average, a young field, with the retirements of top players Steffi Graf and Jana Novotna, but a field showing less inexperience than one might expect. Hingis, at 19, is showing more maturity, as are the Willams sisters. Lindsay Davenport has always shown wisdom beyond her years. What does this combination of physical youth and mental maturity mean for the women's tour in 1999? It means we'll see even more of the outstanding tennis that has made the women's game such a huge success in the last few years.
In the Chase doubles final, Hingis and Anna Kournikova prevailed over Larisa Neiland and Aranxta Sanchez-Vicario 6-4, 6-4. It was Neiland's last match on the WTA Tour, concluding a strong, if not greatly publicized career. The New York crowd brought Neiland to tears, giving her a long, standing ovation in recognition of her retirement. It also might have been Hingis and Kounikova's last match as a team. They announced that they will split up for next season, which is somewhat surprising given their success together and the appearance, at least, that they enjoy each other.
Who do you think will come out on top in 2000? Stop by the forum to post your predictions. I'll venture a few of my own there, too.
