If there was ever a time when a Fed Cup victory was sweeter than
in any other year, that was, without a doubt, in 1998.
The last Fed Cup victory in the 90s decade for the Spanish
Team came almost in an unexpected fashion. Never before, had a
victory of the Spanish Team (Conchita Martínez,
Arantxa Sánchez-Vicario, Magüi Serna and
Virginia Ruano-Pascual) needed so many matches to be achieved.
In the road to the final success, Spain defeated the following
teams:
Germany (Quarterfinals played in Germany):
Spain won 3-2.
Arantxa
Sánchez-Vicario, due to injury, couldn't take part in this eliminatory,
but was part of the team. Conchita Martínez and Magüi Serna played
for Spain.
This victory will go into memory accompanied by the name
of the great Magüi Serna, who won both of her
singles matches and leaded Spain in the doubles match that gave
Spain the access to the next round.
USA (Semifinals played in Spain - Madrid): Spain
won 3-2.
Both Conchita and Arantxa gave Spain a point with their
singles victories. But the eliminatory went again to a decisive
doubles match. The Spanish doubles team (Arantxa and Conchita) faced
the USA team (Lisa Raymond and Mary Jo Fernández), in a match full
of drama that went to 11-9 in a third set won by the Spaniards,
to the delirium of the crowd.
Switzerland (Final played in Switzerland): Spain
won 3-2.
Hingis proved to be too much for the Spanish girls in the
singles, while Schnyder was defeated in both her singles matches.
Arriving, for the third time in a row for the Spanish Team, to a fifth
and decisive match. For the first time in the whole eliminatory,
Spain jumped to the court as favourite. This was a match to be
enjoyed and won. Spain won the match 6-0 6-2.
A team to be remembered, making history and breaking records.
Arantxa and Conchita together hold the record for
more victories in doubles in the Fed Cup, with a record of 18-3,
going undefeated since 1989, when they lost vs. USA
(Garrison/Shriver).
With this, their fifth victory of the decade, they sealed
the best decade of women tennis ever for Spain.
The record of the Spanish Team in the last 11 years
speaks for itself:
Victory
Fed Cup 1991
Fed Cup 1993
Fed Cup 1994
Fed Cup 1995
Fed Cup 1998
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Finalist
Fed Cup 1989
Fed Cup 1992
Fed Cup 1996
Fed Cup 2000
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