Past Results - Hopman Cup II (26th Dec 1989 - 1st Jan 1990)
The second year of Hopman Cup action came around surprisingly quick
and with even greater expectations after the amazing success of HCI.
How would the organisers follow up from a 38,000 crowd total and
players like Steffi Graf, Pat Cash and Miloslav Mecir, all top 10
residents?
That question was quickly put to rest when the field expanded from
eight countries to 12 and names like John McEnroe, Arantxa Sanchez,
Yannick Noah, Petr Korda and Thomas Muster all either top 10 status
or renowned stars of recent years on the bill.
Mark Woodforde, a great doubles player, but still emerging as a
singles campaigner, was the Aussie man with Hana Mandlikova back
again to provide the female touch. But Australia were seeded No.
5 as the United States loomed as the hot favourites.
McEnroe, the triple Wimbledon singles champ and a prolific winner
of doubles tournaments, was partnered by the experienced Pam Shriver,
a brilliant doubles player in her sunset years and they deserved
the No. 1 seeding ahead of the exciting Spanish brother-sister combo
of Arantxa and Emilio Sanchez.
Helena Sukova, with the original Hopman Cup to her credit, was back
and partnered by the improved Korda and the unheralded, but highly-credentialled
Russians Andrei Chesnokov and Natalia Zvereva, completed the top
four seedings.
Italy's Paola Cane and Laura Golarsa opened proceedings with a 2-1
win over Sweden's Mikael Pernfors and Maria Lindstrom after dropping
the men's singles. That got the event off to a dream start as the
pint-sized Golarsa had her Christmas interrupted with a late call
to fill in for compatriot Raffaella Reggi, who had fallen and hurt
herself in Milan just before flying out to Perth.
Australia disposed of Yugoslavia's Slobodan Zivojinovic and Sabrina
Goles without dropping a set; Austria's gutsy Muster and Barbara
Paulus were too strong for New Zealanders Kelly Evernden and Belinda
Cordwell in a clean sweep and France delighted the crowd when the
entertaining Noah and Isabelle Demongeot beat Holland's Brenda Schultz
and Michiel Schapers in a tight tussle. The French lost the mixed
doubles, but won the singles, both in tight three-setters ... and
the entertainment value was enormous.
Noah was doing handstands, cracking jokes; fooling with the lines
people and generally keeping the crowd laughing in the mixed. And
then he showed his serious side in a three-hour duel with Schapers
in the singles, winning from match point down.
Much had been said about the emerging Russians, but the Burswood
holiday mode affected Zvereva and Chesnokov and they bowed out without
a whimper despite their fourth seeding. The Aussies beat them 3-0
in the quarter-finals, conceding only 17 games in three rubbers and
Mandlikova showed her fighting qualities, winning despite serving
well below her best.
Czechoslovakia's third-ranked Korda and the ageless Sukova also
had a 3-0 clean sweep over France, but much harder-earned; a three-setter
in the women's singles and the mixed and then a thrilling tie-breaker
first-set win to Korda before the Noah spirit wilted and he went
down 1-6 in the second set.
The combination of top seeds McEnroe and Shriver was too classy
for Italy, with a 3-0 scoreline and only McEnroe forced to three
sets as Cane snatched the second 6-4 to make it interesting. But
interesting was an under-statement. In the “dead rubber” McEnroe
brought the stadium to life as he clashed with English umpire Jane
Tabor; receiving a behaviour warning for over-hitting a ball and
then a penalty point for abusive language towards the chair. In frustration,
the fiery American sat down and the game was forfeited. That was
at 1-1 in the third set, but he recovered to win 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 ...
and the rubber didn't matter!
Spain were looming menacingly as the brother-sister combination
gelled like a close family should. With other clan members filling
the players' court-side box, it was tight, tense tennis for more
than five hours.
Paulus took Arantxa to 7-5 in the third set; the mixed had an incredibly
tight 7-6, 6-4 scoreline and Muster showed his prowess with a three-set
win after dropping the opener in a tie-breaker that finished at 1.30am!
It was great tennis and proved that this three-rubber concept could
spell-bind the fans for long hours.
But there was more to come.
The semi-final between Spain and Czechoslovakia literally went right
to the wire a tie-breaker in the third set of the women's singles
was to decide which country would advance to the final. Emilio Sanchez
won a classic struggle with Korda, 7-6, 6-4, but then the Czechs
were too good in the mixed, conceding only three games.
When Sukova won the opening set of her singles with Arantxa 6-3,
it looked ominous for the Spaniards. But it's funny how fortunes
fluctuate.
Arantxa was down a set and a break and playing ordinary when some
encouraging words from Emilio stirred the blood. She had previously
saved match points in both her earlier singles and now she came back
from the brink again.
The gritty little Arantxa won a second-set tie-breaker and then
repeated the effort to clinch a finals berth. Phew!
The other semi was far more formal, McEnroe beat Woodforde three
and three and they won the doubles 7-5, 7-6. Mandlikova was troubled
with a back injury and forfeited the dead rubber women's. The final
was going to be a mixed emotional affair. Emilio was due to catch
a late-evening plane to meet a New Zealand tournament deadline, but
he found time to upset McEnroe 5-7, 7-5, 7-5. In the doubles, the
great American partnership conceded only five games.
Arantxa who was on a hit-run raid to Australia from her Barcelona
home and was surprisingly not going on to the Australian Open had
to beat Shriver, a tough competitor on any surface in any surrounds.
But when the little Spanish dynamo jumped towards the Dome's inflatable
ceiling after a 6-3, 6-2 scoreline, Emilio was even higher flying
across Australia with Qantas and a telephone call to the pilot's
cabin told him that he was one-half of the Hopman Cup II champions
.... and $50,000 richer. That inspired him onto further triumphs
as he went on to win the Auckland Open.
Results
Hopman Cup II (26 December 1989 - 1 January 1990)
Seeds:
1. USA: John McEnroe/Pam Shriver
2. Spain: Emilio Sanchez/Arantxa Sanchez Vicario
3. Czechoslovakia: Petr Korda/Helena Sukova
4. Soviet Union: Andrei Chesnokov/Natalia Zvereva
5. Australia: Mark Woodforde/Hana Mandlikova
6. France: Yannick Noah/Isabelle Demongeot
7. Austria: Thomas Muster/Barbara Paulus
8. Italy: Paolo Cane/Laura Golarsa
Unseeded:
Sweden: Mikael Pernfors/Maria Lindstrom
Yugoslavia: Slobodan Zivojinovic/Sabrina Goles
New Zealand: Kelly Evernden/Belinda Cordwell
Netherlands: Michiel Schapers/Brenda Schultz
Final:
Spain d. USA 2-1:
Emilio Sanchez defeated John McEnroe 5-7 7-5 7-5;
McEnroe/Shriver defeated Sanchez/Sanchez Vicario 6-3 6-2;
Arantxa Sanchez Vicario defeated Pam Shriver 6-3 6-3.
Semi Finals:
Spain d. Czechoslovakia 2-1:
Emilio Sanchez defeated Petr Korda 7-6 6-4;
Korda/Sukova defeated Sanchez/Sanchez Vicario 6-1 6-2;
Arantxa Sanchez Vicario defeated Helena Sukova 3-6 7-6 7-6.
USA d. Australia 3-0:
John McEnroe defeated Mark Woodforde 6-3 6-3;
McEnroe/Shriver defeated Woodforde/Mandlikova 6-4 7-6;
Pam Shriver defeated Hana Mandlikova - w/o.
Quarter Finals:
Australia d. Soviet Union 3-0:
Hana Mandlikova defeated Natalia Zvereva 6-4 6-2;
Woodforde/Mandlikova defeated Chesnokov/Zvereva 6-3 6-2;
Mark Woodforde defeated Andrei Chesnokov 6-4 6-2.
Czechoslovakia d. France 3-0:
Helena Sukova defeated Isabelle Demongeot 6-4 3-6 7-5; K
orda/Sukova defeated Noah/Demongeot 6-4 5-7 7-5;
Petr Korda defeated Yannick Noah 7-6 6-1.
Spain d. Austria 2-1:
Arantxa Sanchez Vicario defeated Barbara Paulus 6-4 6-7 7-5;
Sanchez/Sanchez Vicario defeated Muster/Paulus 7-6 6-4;
Thomas Muster defeated Emilio Sanchez 6-7 6-2 6-4.
USA d. Italy 3-0:
Pam Shriver defeated Laura Golarsa 6-2 6-4;
McEnroe/Shriver defeated Cane/Golarsa 6-1 6-4;
John McEnroe defeated Paolo Cane 6-4 4-6 6-4.
First Round:
USA - Bye
Spain - Bye
Czechoslovakia - Bye
Soviet Union - Bye
Italy d. Sweden 2-1:
Mikael Pernfors defeated Paolo Cane 3-6 6-3 6-4;
Cane/Golarsa defeated Pernfors/Lindstrom 7-5 6-3;
Laura Golarsa defeated Maria Lindstrom 6-1 6-1.
Australia d. Yugoslavia 3-0:
Mark Woodforde defeated Slobodan Zivojinovic 6-1 6-1
; Woodforde/Mandlikova defeated Zivojinovic/Goles 6-1 7-5;
Hana Mandlikova defeated Sabrina Goles 6-0 6-0.
Austria d. New Zealand 3-0:
Thomas Muster defeated Kelly Evernden 6-3 6-2;
Muster/Paulus defeated Evernden/Cordwell 7-5 5-7 6-4;
Barbara Paulus defeated Belinda Cordwell 6-1 6-2.
France d. Netherlands 2-1:
Isabelle Demongeot defeated Brenda Schultz 4-6 7-5 6-4;
Schapers/Schultz defeated Noah/Demongeot 6-3 6-2;
Yannick Noah defeated Michiel Schapers 4-6 7-6 7-6.
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