NOVEMBER
Advanta Championships, Philadelphia, PA

Steffi's participation in the Advanta Championships is not confirmed until the last minute. Steffi withdraws from the tournament, but, after a practice, she feels a bit better, and she decides to re-enter. In the 2nd round, Steffi faces Amy Frazier. The American does not stand a chance against Steffi, who having barely played for three months, plays suprisingly well. Steffi takes apart the American 6-2, 6-1 in just 55 minutes.

In the quarterfinals, having heard the great news of her father's release from prison, Steffi plays an incredible match against Chanda Rubin, thrashing the American 6-0, 6-3 in just 46 minutes. Steffi is in an extremely emotional state, and she shows that she is a truly great champion by blocking out all her distractions. Steffi takes the first set in just 19 minutes, and loses only 8 points in the first 7 games.

In the semifinal, despite back troubles, Steffi beats Marianne Werdel-Witmeyer 6-2, 7-5 to move into a finals encounter with old rival, Jana Novotna.

In the final, Steffi, as previously mentioned, plays against Jana Novotna. To everyone's suprise, Novotna takes the first set 6-4. But Steffi's back is really worrying her by now, and she is forced to retire. This is very sad for Steffi, who is unable to defend her title.

FINAL RESULTS OF THE ADVANTA CHAMPIONSHIPS

CHASE CHAMPIONSHIPS
MASTERS, NEW YORK, NY

At the season-ending Chase Championship, held in New York, Steffi heads the list of the 16 top players of the year. In the opening round, Steffi faces Karina Habsudova, the Slovakian who tested her at the German Open, earlier in the year. This time, Steffi finds Habsudova to be a far easier opponent to handle, and she takes the first set 6-1. In the second set, Steffi continues to play great tennis, and she eventually closes out the match 6-1, 6-4.

In the quarterfinals, Steffi faces Lindsay Davenport, the American who beat her in Manhattan Beach in August. This time, they once again have an awesome tussle. Davenport takes an early lead, only to see Steffi rattle off 4 straight games to win the opening set 6-4. In the second set, Davenport builds a 5-2 lead, only to see Steffi roar back. In the tie-break, both players give their all, but Steffi eventually emerges victorious 6-4, 7-6(13-11).

In the semifinals, Steffi faces the last player to have beaten her - Jana Novotna. This time though, the match lasts three sets, rather than one, as on the previous occasion. Novotna takes the first set 6-4, only to see Steffi rebound and take the second set by the same margin. In the final set, Novotna breaks Steffi and takes a 4-2 lead. However, Novotna is unable to do much more, and Steffi triumphs 4-6, 6-4, 6-3. Novotna actually wins more points than Steffi(101-100), but the crucial points virtually all go to Steffi, as she proves why she is a truly great champion.

In the final, which is played over a best-of-five-sets format, Steffi faces teenage prodigy, 16 year old Swiss kid, Martina Hingis. Steffi gets the better of Hingis in the first set, taking it 6-3. In the second set, both players exchange breaks on numerous occasions before Hingis seals the set 6-4. Upset at this change of fortune, Steffi completely dominates Hingis in the third set, only to see the youngster take a 5-1 lead in the fourth. Hingis then starts to cramp, at one stage lying down on the court, and Steffi starts to fight back. However, at 5-4 Hingis makes one last push, and she takes the set. But Steffi is far to strong for the Swiss girl in the final set. Despite a sore knee, which she ices at each changeover, Steffi manages to seal the set and the match 6-3, 4-6, 6-0, 4-6, 6-0. This is a thouroughly satisfying end to the year for the German champion, who ends the year with 7 titles, 3 being the 3 Grand Slams which she entered, and just 4 lossed. Great stuff!

FINAL RESULTS OF THE CHASE CHAMPIONSHIPS

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