1997 Direct Line International Championships

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

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1996 Direct Line International Championships

1996 Direct Line International Championships | 18-22 June

It had been almost four years since Monica Seles competed at Wimbledon, yet she completed her preparation for SW19 with a demolition job over American Mary Joe Fernandez with an emphatic 45-lesson finishing class to take the crown 6-0 6-2.

Seles never looked back after she won the opening 11 points and 20 of the first 22 despite an ailing shoulder and not quite being match fit.

But she was in tip-top form all week, rewarding the vocal Centre Court crowd with her sublime skills and finishing to complete the week on the sleep seaside town of Eastbourne without dropping a set.

Seles had taken just over an hour to see off defending champion Nathalie Tauziat of France 6-4 6-4 in an entertaining semi-final clash, but Seles impressed in her first grass court tournament since she lost in the 1992 Wimbledon final to German ace Steffi Graf.

Final      Monica Seles defeated Mary Joe Fernandez 6 -0 6 – 2

Semi      Mary Joe Fernandez defeated Jana Novotna 6 – 1 2 – 6 8 – 6

Semi      Monica Seles defeated Nathalie Tauziat 6 – 4 6 – 4

Quarter Mary Joe Fernandez defeated Conchita Martinez 2 -6 6 – 4 6 – 4

Quarter Jana Novotna defeated Yayuk Basuki 7 -6 6 – 1

Quarter Nathalie Tauziat defeated Lisa Raymond 6 – 2 6 – 0

Quarter Monica Seles defeated Ines Gorrochategui 6 – 3 6 – 1

Rnd 16 Conchita Martinez defeated Natasha Zvereva 7 – 6 (6) 6 – 3

Rnd 16 Mary Joe Fernandez defeated Ai Sugiyama 6 – 3 6 – 3

Rd 16 Jana Novotna defeated Nicole Arendt 6 – 4 4 – 6 6 – 3

Rnd 16 Yayuk Basuki defeated Lindsay Davenport 6 -2 6 – 3

Rnd 16 Nathalie Tauziat defeated Irina Spirlea 6 – 2 6 – 3

Rnd 16 Lisa Raymond defeated Chanda Rubin 6 – 3 retired

Rnd 16 Ines Gorrochategui defeated Lori McNeil 6 – 2 6 – 3

Rnd 16 Monica Seles defeated Meredith McGrath 6 – 2 6 – 4

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