INTIMATE ENEMIES
Maybe you thought this web site was all going to be about
throwing roses to Conchita and Arantxa... well, you thought right! that's
exactly what this site is all about.  
BUT, even as good a team as these two make, there are other
competitions in tennis besides the Fed Cup (namely, the WTA tour
competition).
They may be proud to represent Spain, and even, be happy to do it
together
(higher chances of ending up winning),
but Arantxa and Conchita have been on opposite sides of the net as
many times as on the same side of it.
They have known each other since forever it seems. Being born with
only a few months of difference, they started facing each other since
their childhood.
Biggest Confrontations
Some of the matches these two have played against the other have
been very decisive ones in both of their carreers:
Spanish Championships (Spain, 1988) - played in Pamplona. Conchita
Martínez stunned Arantxa Sánchez-Vicario into a 6-1 6-2 loss, that
seemed to indicate a potential dominance of Conchita over Arantxa that
never came true.
Barcelona 92 Olympics (Bronce Medal match) -
destiny or simply
bad luck made Conchita and Arantxa face one another in the fight for
a medal. Arantxa defeated Conchita 6-4 6-4, in her way to what was
to be the first of her four Olympic medals.
Roland Garros SF 1994 (Paris, France) - Arantxa defeated
Conchita 6-3 6-1, and went on to win her second Roland Garros title,
defeating the fav of the crowd, Mary Pierce, 6-4 6-4 in the final.
Other Confrontations
Arantxa and Conchita have met, in official competition, a total
of 18 times (duels at the highest level: 2 matches in the Round of the
last 16, 3 in the QF, 8 in the SF and 5 times in Finals), their head to head is as follows:
| Year |
Tournament |
Round |
Winner |
Score |
| 1992 |
Sydney |
QF |
Arantxa Sánchez-Vicario |
6-4 6-2 |
| 1992 |
Hilton Head |
SF |
Conchita Martínez |
6-4 7-5 |
| 1992 |
Barcelona |
SF |
Arantxa Sánchez-Vicario |
6-1 6-2 |
| 1992 |
Barcelona Olympics |
QF |
Arantxa Sánchez-Vicario |
6-4 6-4 |
| 1993 |
Barcelona |
F |
Arantxa Sánchez-Vicario |
6-1 6-4 |
| 1994 |
French Open |
SF |
Arantxa Sánchez-Vicario |
6-3 6-1 |
| 1994 |
Prague |
F |
Arantxa Sánchez-Vicario |
6-2 6-7 6-3 |
| 1994 |
Stratton Mountain |
F |
Conchita Martínez |
4-6 6-3 6-4 |
| 1994 |
San Diego |
SF |
Arantxa Sánchez-Vicario |
6-4 6-1 |
| 1995 |
Rome |
F |
Conchita Martínez |
6-3 6-1 |
| 1995 |
Wimbledon |
SF |
Arantxa Sánchez-Vicario |
6-3 6-7 6-1 |
| 1996 |
Tokyo |
SF |
Arantxa Sánchez-Vicario |
6-4 5-7 6-4 |
| 1996 |
Hamburg |
F |
Arantxa Sánchez-Vicario |
4-6 7-6 6-0 |
| 1998 |
Canadian Open |
QF |
Arantxa Sánchez-Vicario |
6-3 6-4 |
| 1999 |
Berlin |
R16 |
Arantxa Sánchez-Vicario |
6-1 0-6 7-5 |
| 1999 |
Canadian Open |
R16 |
Arantxa Sánchez-Vicario |
7-6 6-1 |
| 2000 |
Hilton Head |
SF |
Arantxa Sánchez-Vicario |
7-5 7-5 |
| 2000 |
French Open |
SF |
Conchita Martínez |
6-1 6-2 |
Overall, Arantxa leads 14:4 over Conchita.
These figures could wrongly lead to the assumption that Arantxa is
a much better player than Conchita. That is so not the case.
Conchita is an exceptional player, with one of the best forehands
of the circuit, and good all-court game and a beautiful one handed
backhand, that has helped her to win 32 WTA Tour singles titles (5
more than Arantxa overall).
But
Arantxa does have the mental edge on Conchita, and what should have
been a great rivalry over the years, turned up to be pretty one sided.
With Arantxa dominating Conchita in most of their confrontations.
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