RIVAL Hyundai Hopman Cup finalists Monica Seles, of the United States and Spain’s Arantxa Sanchez Vicario will attempt to become the first player to win the international teams tennis championship trophy for a second time when the final is contested at Perth’s Burswood Dome on Saturday.
The two women, who have both previously held the No. 1 ranking in world tennis, have been Hopman Cup winners before, with Sanchez Vicario sharing the 1990 title with brother Emilio Seles winning the Cup for Yugoslavia the next year, partnering Goran Prpic.
The victors in Saturday’s final of the $1-million event will join Switzerland and Germany as countries who have won the ITF-sanctioned mixed teams championship twice and a win by the USA would help balance their runner’s-up tally of three.
The USA pair of Seles and Jan-Michael Gambill won through to their second successive Cup by beating Belgium’s Kim Clijsters and Xavier Malisse in singles matches, with Seles winning in three sets, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 and her compatriot in two tie-breakers, both going seven points to two.
Gambill’s opponent in the final will be one of the game’s rising stars, the 19-year-old Tommy Robredo, who has impressed this week with an unbeaten debut and a win/loss tally of 4-0, plus two defaults courtesy of Australia.
Saturday’s final will start at 10am and carries $240,000 prizemoney for the winners and $120,000 for the runners-up.
