Martina Hingis
On November 29, 2005, after several surgeries and long recuperations, the 25-year-old Hingis announced that she would return to the WTA tour, starting her professional comeback at a low-key tournament in Gold Coast, Australia in January 2006. Since then, Hingis has climbed to No. 6 in the world rankings, won three titles (at the Tier I tournament in Rome, the Tier III tournament in Kolkata, India, and the Tier I tournament in Tokyo), was the runner-up in three tournaments (Tier I tournaments in Tokyo and Montreal and the Tier III in Gold Coast), and qualified for the 2006 WTA Tour Championships in Madrid.
She was engaged to fellow tennis player Radek tepánek but they have since split up. She has been coached by her mother, Melanie Molitor, a former tennis pro. However, she currently does not have a coach.
Childhood and early career
Hingis was born to two accomplished tennis players: a Czech mother, Melanie Molitorová, and a Slovak father, Karol Hingis. Molitorová once ranked No. 10 among women in Czechoslovakia. Her father is a tennis trainer in Koice. They named their daughter 'Martina' (originally Martina Hingisová) after Martina Navrátilová. Hingis' parents divorced when she was a young girl. She moved with her mother to Moravia for a short period, then to Switzerland.
Hingis began hitting tennis balls when she was two years old and entered her first tournament at age four. In 1993, 12-year-old Hingis became the youngest player to win a Grand Slam junior title: the girls' singles at the French Open. In 1994, she retained her French Open junior title, won the girls' singles title at Wimbledon, and was ranked the World No. 1 junior player.
She made her professional debut in October 1994, two weeks after her 14th birthday. In 1995, she became the youngest player to win a match at a Grand Slam tournament when she advanced to the second round of the Australian Open.
Hingis was twice rated among FHM magazine's 100 sexiest women, and her championship doubles partnership with tennis' glamour girl Anna Kournikova (two Grand Slam championships) in the late 1990s and early-2000s attracted a great deal of attention. Jestingly, they announced that they were "The Spice Girls of Tennis."
Grand Slam success and period of dominance
In 1996, Hingis became the youngest Wimbledon champion when she teamed with Helena Suková to win the women's doubles title at age 15 years and 9 months. She also won her first professional singles title that year at Filderstadt, Germany. She reached the singles quarterfinals at the 1996 Australian Open and the singles semifinals of the 1996 U.S. Open. Following her win at Filderstadt, Hingis defeated the reigning Australian Open champion and co-top ranked (with Steffi Graf) Monica Seles 6-2, 6-0 in the final at Oakland. Hingis then lost to Graf 6-3, 4-6, 6-0, 4-6, 6-0 at the year-end WTA Tour Championships.
Hingis's best year was 1997 when she was the undisputed world No. 1 women's tennis player. She started the year by winning the warm-up tournament in Sydney. She then became the youngest Grand Slam singles winner in the 20th century by winning the Australian Open at age 16 years and 3 months (beating former champion Mary Pierce in the final). In March, she became the youngest top ranked player in history. In July, she became the youngest singles champion at Wimbledon since Lottie Dod in 1887 by beating Jana Novotná in the final. She then defeated another up-and-coming player, Venus Williams, in the final of the U.S. Open. The only Grand Slam singles title that Hingis failed to win in 1997 was the French Open, where she lost in the final to Iva Majoli.
In 1998, Hingis won all four of the Grand Slam women's doubles titles, only the fourth in women's tennis history to do so, (the Australian Open with Mirjana Lucic and the other three events with Novotná), and she became only the third woman to simultaneously hold the No. 1 ranking in both singles and doubles. She also retained her Australian Open singles title by beating Conchita Martínez in straight sets in the final. Hingis, however, lost in the final of the U.S. Open to Lindsay Davenport. Davenport ended an 80-week stretch Hingis had enjoyed as the No. 1 singles player in October 1998, but Hingis finished the year by beating Davenport in the final of the WTA Tour Championships.
1999 saw Hingis win her third successive Australian Open singles crown as well as the doubles title (with teammate Anna Kournikova). She then reached the French Open final and was three points away from victory in the second set against Steffi Graf, but ended up losing 4-6, 7-5, 6-2. During the match, Hingis had infuriated an already partisan crowd (the reason had been Hingis statements before the match - see under Controversy) by arguing with the umpire over several line calls (crossing the net in one instance), taking a bathroom break early in the final set, and twice delivering a rare underhand serve on match point. In tears after the match, Hingis was comforted by her mother as she returned to the court for the trophy ceremony. After a shock first-round 6-2, 6-0 loss to Jelena Dokic at Wimbledon, Hingis bounced back to reach her third consecutive U.S. Open final, where she lost to Serena Williams. Hingis won a total of seven singles titles that year and reclaimed the No. 1 singles ranking. She also reached the final of the WTA Tour Championships, where she lost to Davenport 6-4, 6-2.
In 2000, Hingis again found herself in both the singles and doubles finals at the Australian Open. This time, however, she lost both. Her three-year hold on the singles championship ended when she lost to Davenport 6-1, 7-5. Later, Hingis and Pierce, her new doubles partner, lost to Lisa Raymond and Renee Stubbs. Hingis captured the French Open women's doubles title with Pierce and produced consistent results in singles tournaments throughout the year. Although she did not win a Grand Slam singles tournament, she kept the year end No. 1 ranking because of nine tournament championships, including the WTA Tour Championships where she won the singles and doubles titles.
Injuries and hiatus from tennis
In 2001, Switzerland, with Hingis and Roger Federer on its team, won the Hopman Cup. Hingis was undefeated in singles during the event, defeating Tamarine Tanasugarn, Nicole Pratt, Amanda Coetzer, and Monica Seles.
Hingis reached her fifth consecutive Australian Open final in 2001, where she lost to Jennifer Capriati 6-4, 6-3. She briefly ended her coaching relationships with her mother Melanie early in the year but had a change of heart two months later just before the French Open. Hingis underwent surgery on her right ankle in October 2001.
Coming back from injury, Hingis won the Australian Open doubles final at the start of 2002 (again teaming with Kournikova) and reached a sixth straight Australian Open final in singles, again facing Capriati. Hingis led by a set and 4-0 and had four match points but lost 4-6, 7-6, 6-2. In May 2002, she needed another ankle ligament operation, this time on her left ankle. After that, she continued to struggle with injuries and was not able to recapture her best form.
In 2003, at the age of 22, Hingis announced her retirement from tennis. In several interviews, she indicated she was attending an advanced English course at AKAD in Zürich to broaden her career opportunities.
During this segment of her tennis career, Hingis won 40 singles titles and 36 doubles events. She held the World No. 1 singles ranking for a total of 209 weeks (fourth most following Steffi Graf, Martina Navratilova, and Chris Evert). In 2005, TENNIS Magazine put her in 22nd place in its list of 40 Greatest Players of the TENNIS era.
Return to the game
2005
In February 2005, Hingis made an unsuccessful return to competition at an event in Pattaya, Thailand, where she lost to Germany's Marlene Weingartner in the first round. After the loss, she claimed that she had no further plans for a comeback.
Hingis, however, resurfaced in July, playing singles, doubles, and mixed doubles in World Team Tennis and notching up singles victories over two top 100 players and shutting out Martina Navrátilová in singles on July 7th. With these promising results behind her, Hingis announced on November 29 her return to the WTA Tour in 2006.
2006
Her Grand Slam comeback debut was at the 2006 Australian Open, where she reached the quarterfinals before losing to Kim Clijsters, the second seed. However, Hingis won the mixed doubles title with Mahesh Bhupathi of India. This was her first career Grand Slam mixed doubles title and fifteenth overall (5 singles, 9 women's doubles, 1 mixed doubles).
On May 19, 2006, Hingis posted her 500th career singles match victory in the quarterfinals of the Tier I Italian Open in Rome, beating top 20 player Flavia Pennetta, and two days later won the tournament. This was her 41st WTA tour singles title and first in more than four years. Hingis then reached the quarterfinals at the French Open, losing to Clijsters, and the third round at Wimbledon, losing to Ai Sugiyama. Her U.S. Open return was short lived, losing in the second round 6-2, 6-4 to Virginie Razzano, who was ranked outside the top 100.
In her first tournament since the U.S. Open, Hingis won the second title of her comeback at the Tier III Sunfeast Open in Kolkata, India. She defeated unseeded Russian Olga Poutchkova 6-0, 6-4 in the final after defeating Sania Mirza 6-1, 6-0 in a semifinal. The following week in Seoul, Hingis notched her 50th match win of the year before losing in the second round to Mirza 4-6, 6-0, 6-4.
During her 8 months back on the WTA tour, Hingis has reached three Tier I finals - the first in Tokyo (falling to Elena Dementieva 6-2, 6-0, after defeating Maria Sharapova in a semifinal), then in Rome (winning the title over Dinara Safina 6-2, 7-5), and in Montreal (falling to Ana Ivanovic 6-2, 6-3). She has beaten several top players in her comeback, including Sharapova, Lindsay Davenport, Dementieva, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Nadia Petrova and Venus Williams.
Hingis qualified for the end of year WTA Tour Championships in Madrid as the eighth seed. In her three round robin matches, she lost in three sets to both Justine Henin-Hardenne and Amelie Mauresmo but defeated Nadia Petrova 6-4, 3-6, 6-3.
Hingis ended the year ranked No. 7 in the WTA rankings, which is based on the previous 52 weeks of results. In the 2006 Race to the Sony Ericsson Championships rankings, she also finished No. 7. She finished 8th in prize money earnings during 2006 (U.S. $1,159,537).
2007
Hingis started 2007 by reaching the final of a Tier III event, the Australian Hardcourt Championships in Gold Coast, Australia, losing to Dinara Safina of Russia 6-3, 3-6, 7-5. The next week at the Medibank International in Sydney, Hingis lost her first round match to Jelena Jankovic in three sets.
At the 2007 Australian Open, Hingis won her first three rounds without losing a set before defeating China's Na Li in the fourth round 4-6, 6-3, 6-0. Hingis then lost a quarterfinal match to Kim Clijsters 3-6, 6-4, 6-3. This was the second consecutive year that Hingis had lost to Clijsters in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open and the third time in the last five Grand Slam tournaments that Clijsters had eliminated Hingis in the quarterfinals.
Hingis won her next tournament, the Tier I Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo, Japan, defeating Ana Ivanovic in the final 6-4, 6-2. This was Hingis's record fifth singles title at this event.
Three weeks later, Hingis lost for the second time this year to Jankovic in the quarterfinals of the Dubai Duty Free Women's Open. At the Qatar Total Open in Doha, Hingis lost to Daniela Hantuchova 1-6, 6-4, 6-4 in the quarterfinals after being up a set and 4-1 (40-0) in the second set. In women's doubles, Hingis teamed with Maria Kirilenko to win the title, defeating Agnes Szavay and Vladimira Uhlirova in the final 6-1, 6-1.
At the Pacific Life Open in Indian Wells, California, which was the second Tier I tournament of the year, Hingis again lost to Hantuchova, this time in the fourth round 6-4, 6-3. Hingis was up a service break in both sets but, as in Doha, could not hold her lead.
At the Tier I Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, Florida, Hingis again failed to reach the quarterfinals, losing in the third round to Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland 4-6, 6-3, 6-2.
Her next tournament was the Qatar Telecom German Open, where she fell in the third round to compatriot Patty Schnyder 6-4, 6-0. A hip injury that troubled her at the German Open (she took painkillers for her matches) caused her to withdraw from the Telecom Italia Masters Roma, where she was the defending champion, and the French Open, the only Grand Slam singles title that has eluded her.
In her first round match at Wimbledon Hingis saved two match points to defeat British wildcard Naomi Cavaday. Afterwards it emerged Martina had not fully recovered from the hip injury that prevented her from playing in Roland Garros. In the third round Hingis lost to Laura Granville of the United States 6-4, 6-2 and claimed afterwards she should not have entered the tournament. In San Diego, Martina defeated Michaella Krajicek 7-5 6-2 before falling to an in-form Patty Schnyder 6-1 6-7(4) 6-3. Hingis was leading 3-1 in the final set before losing 5 straight games.
In August 2007, Hingis lost to Sania Mirza 6-2, 2-6, 6-4 in a second-round match of East West Bank Classic WTA Tournament.
Controversies
Hingis is also well known for usually being outspoken and "sharp tongued." During her career, Hingis has made a number of statements about her fellow players that have subsequently become the focus of attention and the source of controversy.
Referring obliquely to Amélie Mauresmo's lesbianism on the eve of their 1999 Australian Open final, Hingis told reporters, "She's here with her girlfriend. She's half a man already."
When asked in the late 1990s how she felt about the budding rivalry between herself and the then-up-and-coming Anna Kournikova, Hingis responded, "What rivalry? I win all the matches."
After the Williams sisters (Venus and Serena) had complained of discrimination against them, Hingis told Time Magazine in 2001: "Being black only helps them. Many times they get sponsors because they are black. And they have had a lot of advantages because they can always say, 'It's racism.' They can always come back and say, 'Because we are this colour, things happen.'" In the U.S., this comment garnered considerable attention, although elsewhere her comment was mostly greeted with indifference.
At the peak of the Williams sisters and Hingis' competitive and fierce rivalry, Hingis stated in a press conference during the 1999 U.S. Open referring to the sisters' remarks, "They always have big mouths. They always talk a lot. It's happened before, so it's gonna happen again. I don't really worry about that."
On the long-dominant German player, Steffi Graf, Hingis said, "Steffi has had some results in the past, but it's a faster, more athletic game now than when she played. She is old now. Her time has passed." (Hingis made this comment in 1998 while Graf was on an injury-related hiatus from tennis.)
Responding in a 1999 press conference on why she terminated her doubles partnership with former Wimbledon champion Jana Novotna, Hingis remarked, "She's old and slow."
During her acceptance speech at the 1997 Australian Open women's singles final, the winner, Hingis, referred to her win in doubles the previous day and said, "I always love to come here to Australia and it's a great win for me and I will like to come back and win another title. Yesterday, I already won in my doubles so, next time I'll have to play mixed doubles so, maybe I'm going to win that too. But I also need to give someone else a chance to win an event."
Playing style
Hingis is renowned for her tactical approach to the game of tennis and for her technical skills, enabling her to produce a large array of shots with finesse. She lacks the power possessed by many of her contemporaries; therefore, she relies on low error rates and good shot selection to keep opponents off-balance. She often uses change of direction and pace to catch opponents off guard and sharp angles to open up the court. She is also well known for her ability to break long rallies by hitting accurate drop shots and coming to the net, where she is a skilled volleyer. A signature play of Hingis is the drop shot followed by a lob, often resulting in an easy volley or overhead to finish the point.
Grand Slam singles finals
| Year | Championship | Opponent in Final | Score in Final |
| 1997 | Australian Open |  Mary Pierce |
6-2, 6-2 |
| 1997 | Wimbledon |  Jana Novotná |
2-6, 6-3, 6-3 |
| 1997 | U.S. Open |  Venus Williams |
6-0, 6-4 |
| 1998 | Australian Open (2) |  Conchita Martínez |
6-3, 6-3 |
| 1999 | Australian Open (3) | Amélie Mauresmo |
6-2, 6-3 |
[edit] Runner-ups (7)
| Year | Championship | Opponent in Final | Score in Final |
| 1997 | French Open |  Iva Majoli |
6-4, 6-2 |
| 1998 | U.S. Open | Lindsay Davenport |
6-3, 7-5 |
| 1999 | French Open (2) |  Steffi Graf |
4-6, 7-5, 6-2 |
| 1999 | U.S. Open (2) | Serena Williams |
6-3, 7-6 |
| 2000 | Australian Open | Lindsay Davenport |
6-1, 7-5 |
| 2001 | Australian Open (2) | Jennifer Capriati |
6-4, 6-3 |
| 2002 | Australian Open (3) | Jennifer Capriati |
4-6, 7-6, 6-2 |
[edit] Grand Slam doubles finals
[edit] Wins (9)
| Year | Championship | Partnering | Opponents in Final | Score in Final |
| 1996 | Wimbledon | Helena Suková |
Meredith McGrath Larisa Neiland |
5-7, 7-5, 6-1 |
| 1997 | Australian Open |  Natasha Zvereva |
Lindsay Davenport Lisa Raymond |
6-2, 6-2 |
| 1998 | Australian Open (2) | Mirjana Lucic |
Lindsay Davenport Natasha Zvereva |
6-4, 2-6, 6-3 |
| 1998 | French Open |  Jana Novotná |
Lindsay Davenport Natasha Zvereva |
6-1, 7-6(4) |
| 1998 | Wimbledon (2) | Jana Novotná |
Lindsay Davenport Natasha Zvereva |
6-3, 3-6, 8-6 |
| 1998 | U.S. Open | Jana Novotná |
Lindsay Davenport Natasha Zvereva |
6-3, 6-3 |
| 1999 | Australian Open (3) |  Anna Kournikova |
Lindsay Davenport Natasha Zvereva |
7-5, 6-3 |
| 2000 | French Open (2) | Mary Pierce |
Virginia Ruano Pascual Paola Suarez |
6-2, 6-4 |
| 2002 | Australian Open (4) | Anna Kournikova |
 Daniela Hantuchová Arantxa Sánchez-Vicario |
6-2, 6-7(4), 6-1 |
[edit] Runner-ups (2)
| Year | Championship | Partnering | Opponents in Final | Score in Final |
| 1999 | French Open | Anna Kournikova |
Serena Williams Venus Williams |
6-3, 6-7(2), 8-6 |
| 2000 | Australian Open | Mary Pierce |
Lisa Raymond Rennae Stubbs |
6-4, 5-7, 6-4 |
[edit] WTA Tour and ITF Circuit singles titles
| Legend (Singles) |
|---|
| Tier I (17) |
| Tier II (15) |
| Tier III (4) |
| Tier IV (0) |
| Grand Slam Title (5) |
| WTA Tour Championship (2) |
| ITF Circuit (2) |
| # | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent in final | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 1993-10-24 | Langenthal, Switzerland | Carpet | Sophie Georges |
2-6, 7-5, 7-6(4) |
| 2. | 1996-03-10 | Prostejov, Czech Republic | Hard Indoors |  Barbara Paulus |
6-1, 6-4 |
| 3. | 1996-10-13 | Filderstadt, Germany | Carpet | Anke Huber |
6-2, 3-6, 6-3 |
| 4. | 1996-11-10 | Oakland, USA | Carpet | Monica Seles |
6-2, 6-0 |
| 5. | 1997-01-12 | Sydney, Australia | Hard | Jennifer Capriati |
6-1, 5-7, 6-1 |
| 6. | 1997-01-25 | Australian Open, Melbourne, Australia | Hard | Mary Pierce |
6-2, 6-2 |
| 7. | 1997-02-02 | Tokyo (Pan Pacific), Japan | Carpet | Steffi Graf |
Walkover |
| 8. | 1997-02-16 | Paris, France | Carpet | Anke Huber |
6-3, 3-6, 6-3 |
| 9. | 1997-03-30 | Key Biscayne, USA | Hard | Monica Seles |
6-2, 6-1 |
| 10. | 1997-04-06 | Hilton Head Island, USA | Clay | Monica Seles |
3-6, 6-3, 7-6(5) |
| 11. | 1997-07-06 | Wimbledon, United Kingdom | Grass | Jana Novotná |
2-6, 6-3, 6-3 |
| 12. | 1997-07-27 | Stanford, USA | Hard | Conchita Martínez |
6-0, 6-2 |
| 13. | 1997-08-03 | San Diego, USA | Hard | Monica Seles |
7-6(4), 6-4 |
| 14. | 1997-09-07 | US Open, New York, USA | Hard | Venus Williams |
6-0, 6-4 |
| 15. | 1997-10-12 | Filderstadt, Germany | Carpet | Lisa Raymond |
6-2, 6-4 |
| 16. | 1997-11-16 | Philadelphia, USA | Carpet | Lindsay Davenport |
7-5, 6-7(7), 7-6(4) |
| 17. | 1998-01-31 | Australian Open, Melbourne, Australia | Hard | Conchita Martínez |
6-3, 6-3 |
| 18. | 1998-03-15 | Indian Wells, USA | Hard | Lindsay Davenport |
6-3, 6-4 |
| 19. | 1998-05-04 | Hamburg, Germany | Clay | Jana Novotná |
6-3, 7-5 |
| 20. | 1998-05-17 | Rome, Italy | Clay | Venus Williams |
6-3, 2-6, 6-3 |
| 21. | 1998-11-22 | WTA Tour Championships, New York, USA | Carpet | Lindsay Davenport |
7-5, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 |
| 22. | 1999-01-30 | Australian Open, Melbourne, Australia | Hard | Amélie Mauresmo |
6-2, 6-3 |
| 23. | 1999-02-07 | Tokyo (Pan Pacific), Japan | Carpet |  Amanda Coetzer |
6-2, 6-1 |
| 24. | 1999-04-04 | Hilton Head Island, USA | Clay | Anna Kournikova |
6-4, 6-3 |
| 25. | 1999-05-16 | Berlin, Germany | Clay | Julie Halard-Decugis |
6-0, 6-1 |
| 26. | 1999-08-08 | San Diego, USA | Hard | Venus Williams |
6-4, 6-0 |
| 27. | 1999-08-22 | Toronto, Canada | Hard | Monica Seles |
6-4, 6-4 |
| 28. | 1999-10-10 | Filderstadt, Germany | Carpet | Mary Pierce |
6-4, 6-1 |
| 29. | 2000-02-06 | Tokyo (Pan Pacific), Japan | Carpet | Sandrine Testud |
6-3, 7-5 |
| 30. | 2000-04-02 | Key Biscayne, USA | Hard | Lindsay Davenport |
6-3, 6-2 |
| 31. | 2000-05-07 | Hamburg, Germany | Clay | Arantxa Sánchez-Vicario |
6-3, 6-3 |
| 32. | 2000-06-25 | 's-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands | Grass |  Ruxandra Dragomir |
6-2, 3-0 retired |
| 33. | 2000-08-20 | Montreal, Canada | Hard | Serena Williams |
0-6, 6-3, 3-0 retired |
| 34. | 2000-10-08 | Filderstadt, Germany | Carpet |  Kim Clijsters |
6-0, 6-3 |
| 35. | 2000-10-15 | Zurich, Switzerland | Hard | Lindsay Davenport |
6-4, 4-6, 7-5 |
| 36. | 2000-10-29 | Moscow, Russia | Carpet | Anna Kournikova |
6-3, 6-1 |
| 37. | 2000-11-19 | WTA Tour Championships, New York, USA | Carpet | Monica Seles |
6-7(5), 6-4, 6-4 |
| 38. | 2001-01-08 | Sydney, Australia | Hard | Lindsay Davenport |
6-3, 4-6, 7-5 |
| 39. | 2001-02-18 | Doha, Qatar | Hard | Sandrine Testud |
6-3, 6-2 |
| 40. | 2001-02-25 | Dubai, United Arab Emirates | Hard | Nathalie Tauziat |
6-4, 6-4 |
| 41. | 2002-01-13 | Sydney, Australia | Hard | Meghann Shaughnessy |
6-2, 6-3 |
| 42. | 2002-02-03 | Tokyo (Pan Pacific), Japan | Carpet | Monica Seles |
7-6(6), 4-6, 6-3 |
| 43. | 2006-05-21 | Rome, Italy | Clay | Dinara Safina |
6-2, 7-5 |
| 44. | 2006-09-24 | Kolkata, India | Carpet | Olga Poutchkova |
6-0, 6-4 |
| 45. | 2007-02-04 | Tokyo (Pan Pacific), Japan | Carpet |  Ana Ivanovic |
6-4, 6-2 |
[edit] WTA Tour and ITF Circuit doubles titles
| Legend (Doubles) |
|---|
| Tier I (13) |
| Tier II (13) |
| Tier III (0) |
| Tier IV (0) |
| Grand Slam Title (9) |
| WTA Tour Championship (2) |
| ITF Circuit (1) |
| # | Date | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents in final | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | March 5, 1995 | Prostejov, Czech Republic | Hard Indoors | Petra Langrova |
Eva Melicharova Katarzyna Teodorowicz |
7-6, 6-2 |
| 2. | May 7, 1995 | Hamburg, Germany | Clay | Gigi Fernandez |
Conchita Martinez Patricia Tarabini |
6-2, 6-3 |
| 3. | July 7, 1996 | Wimbledon, United Kingdom | Grass | Helena Sukova |
Meredith McGrath Larisa Neiland |
5-7, 7-5, 6-1 |
| 4. | October 20, 1996 | Zurich, Switzerland | Carpet | Helena Sukova |
Nicole Arendt Natasha Zvereva |
7-5, 6-4 |
| 5. | January 26, 1997 | Australian Open, Melbourne, Australia | Hard | Natasha Zvereva |
Lindsay Davenport Lisa Raymond |
6-2, 6-2 |
| 6. | February 16, 1997 | Paris, France | Carpet | Helena Sukova |
Alexandra Fusai Rita Grande |
6-3, 6-0 |
| 7. | April 6, 1997 | Hilton Head, USA | Green Clay | Mary Joe Fernandez |
Lindsay Davenport Jana Novotna |
7-5, 4-6, 6-1 |
| 8. | July 27, 1997 | Stanford, USA | Hard | Lindsay Davenport |
Conchita Martinez Patricia Tarabini |
6-1, 6-3 |
| 9. | August 3, 1997 | San Diego, USA | Hard | Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario |
Amy Frazier Kimberly Po |
6-3, 7-5 |
| 10. | September 28, 1997 | Leipzig, Germany | Carpet | Jana Novotna |
 Yayuk Basuki Helena Sukova |
6-2, 6-2 |
| 11. | October 12, 1997 | Filderstadt, Germany | Hard Indoors | Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario |
Lindsay Davenport Jana Novotna |
7-6, 3-6, 7-6 |
| 12. | October 19, 1997 | Zurich, Switzerland | Carpet | Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario |
Larisa Neiland Helena Sukova |
4-6, 6-4, 6-1 |
| 13. | January 18, 1998 | Sydney, Australia | Hard | Helena Sukova |
Katrina Adams Meredith McGrath |
6-1, 6-2 |
| 14. | February 1, 1998 | Australian Open, Melbourne, Australia | Hard | Mirjana Lucic |
Lindsay Davenport Natasha Zvereva |
6-4, 2-6, 6-3 |
| 15. | February 8, 1998 | Tokyo, Japan | Carpet | Mirjana Lucic |
Lindsay Davenport Natasha Zvereva |
7-5, 6-4 |
| 16. | March 29, 1998 | Miami, USA | Hard | Jana Novotna |
Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario Natasha Zvereva |
6-2, 3-6, 6-3 |
| 17. | June 7, 1998 | French Open, Paris, France | Red Clay | Jana Novotna |
Lindsay Davenport Natasha Zvereva |
6-1, 7-6 |
| 18. | July 5, 1998 | Wimbledon, United Kingdom | Grass | Jana Novotna |
Lindsay Davenport Natasha Zvereva |
6-3, 3-6, 8-6 |
| 19. | August 16, 1998 | Los Angeles, USA | Hard | Helena Sukova |
 Tamarine Tanasugarn Elena Tatarkova |
6-4, 6-2 |
| 20. | August 23, 1998 | Montreal, Canada | Hard | Jana Novotna |
Yayuk Basuki Caroline Vis |
6-3, 6-4 |
| 21. | September 13, 1998 | U.S. Open, New York City, USA | Hard | Jana Novotna |
Lindsay Davenport Natasha Zvereva |
6-3, 6-3 |
| 22. | January 31, 1999 | Australian Open, Melbourne, Australia | Hard | Anna Kournikova |
Lindsay Davenport Natasha Zvereva |
7-5, 6-3 |
| 23. | March 14, 1999 | Indian Wells, USA | Hard | Anna Kournikova |
Mary Joe Fernandez Jana Novotna |
6-2, 6-2 |
| 24. | March 28, 1999 | Miami, USA | Hard | Jana Novotna |
Mary Joe Fernandez Monica Seles |
6-0, 4-6, 7-6 |
| 25. | May 9, 1999 | Rome, Italy | Red Clay | Anna Kournikova |
Alexandra Fusai Nathalie Tauziat |
6-2, 6-2 |
| 26. | June 20, 1999 | Eastbourne, United Kingdom | Grass | Anna Kournikova |