1997 Direct Line International Championships | 17-22 June
With rain ruining what looked like being a mouthwatering final between Czech Republic’s Jana Novotna and Spanish star Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario, the organisers sensibly made the pair joint winners.
But there were some interesting developments during the tournament. Monica Seles was a late entrant in a bid to try to defend her crown, but surprisingly stuttered at the hands of Brenda Schultz-McCarthy to crash in the quarter-finals.
And the willowy Venus Williams looked like a star in the making but was heavily distracted by her dreadlock beads falling to the grass, so it was not a shock to see her taste defeat.
Final Cancelled due to rain | Join winners Jana Novotna and Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario
Semi Jana Novotna defeated Natasha Zvereva 6 (7) – 7 6 – 0 7 – 5
Semi Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario defeated Brenda Schultz-McCarthy 7 – 5 6 – 1
Quarter Jana Novotna defeated Ai Sugiyama 6 – 2 6 (6) – 7 6 – 4
Quarter Natasha Zvereva defeated Nathalie Tauziat 6 – 4 5 – 7 6 – 4
Quarter Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario defeated Irina Spirlea 6 – 4 6 – 4
Quarter Brenda Schultz-McCarthy defeated Monica Seles 7 – 5 7 – 5
Rnd 16 Jana Novotna defeated Yayuk Basuki 7 – 5 6 – 4
Rnd 16 Ai Sugiyama defeated Kimberly Po-Messerli 6 – 3 6 – 1
Rnd 16 Natasha Zvereva defeated Iva Majoli 6 – 2 7 – 5
Rnd 16 Nathalie Tauziat defeated Venus Williams 6 – 3 5 – 7 6 – 4
Rnd 16 Irina Spirlea defeated Anne-Gaelle Sidot 6 – 4 6 – 3
Rnd 16 Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario defeated Kerry-Anne Guse 7 – 5 6 – 0
Rnd 16 Brenda Schultz-McCarthy defeated Silvia Farina Elia 4 – 6 6 – 1 6 – 2
Rnd 16 Monica Seles defeated Naoko Sawamatsu 6 – 2 7 – 5
Rnd 32 Yayuk Basuki defeated Elena Likhovtseva 6 – 3 6 – 0
Rnd 32 Ai Sugiyama defeated Shirli-Ann Siddall 6 – 2 5 – 7 8 – 6
Rnd 32 Kimberly Po-Messerli defeated Katarina Studenikova 0 – 6 7 – 6 (5) 6 – 2
Rnd 32 Natasha Zvereva defeated Amy Frazier 7 – 6 (1) 6 – 0
Rnd 32 Venus Williams defeated Chanda Rubin 6 – 4 6 – 4
Rnd 32 Nathalie Tauziat defeated Mary Joe Fernandez 7 – 6 (5) 7 – 5
Rnd 32 Irina Spirlea defeated Ines Gorrochategui 6 – 0 3 – 6 6 – 4
Rnd 32 Anne-Gaelle Sidot defeated Lucie Ahl 6 – 3 6 – 4
Rnd 32 Kerry-Anne Guse defeated Shi-Ting Wang 6 – 3 5 – 7 6 – 4
Rnd 32 Brenda Schultz-McCarthy defeated Helena Sukova 6 – 3 7 – 6 (3)
Rnd 32 Silvia Farina Elia defeated Lisa Raymond 7 – 5 6 – 4
Rnd 32 Naoko Sawamatsu defeated Jo Ward 6 – 2 7 – 5