OCTOBER

Steffi Graf, sidelined due to a bone growth in her wrist, is forced to skip the entire month of October due to the injury. She pulls out of tournaments in Tokyo, Filderstadt and Moscow, as she is forced to undergo surgery on the offending wrist. Steffi's wrist was strapped in her fourth round US Open loss to Patty Schnyder, but Steffi makes no excuses for losing.

Steffi Graf returns to the tour earlier than expected, as she enters the Sparkassen Cup in Leipzig, Germany, which starts on the 2nd of November. Steffi's first match is a doubles encounter, and she pairs up with 16 year old Mia Buric, a German whom she is presently helping and coaching. Buric, ranked 551 in the doubles ranking list, teams with Steffi to take on Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario and Natasha Zvereva, the top seeds. The wild-card paring of Graf/Buric give a good showing, and Steffi starts the match with an ace, but, unfortunately, she ends it with a double fault, and the German pair lose 5-7, 4-6.

Unseeded for the first time in 13 years, Steffi faces Ruxandra Dragomir of Romania in the first round of the singles event. This is the 2nd meeting between the two players, the first having taken place in Berlin, 1997, when Steffi triumphed 6-3, 6-2. In this match, Steffi takes an early advantage, and never looks back. Steffi never looks in trouble, and she triumphs over the 34th ranked Dragomir, 6-3, 6-3.

In the 2nd round of the singles event, Steffi comes up against Ai Sugiyama, the 6th seeded Japanese player who had beaten Steffi in San Diego in August. So Steffi needs to get revenge. And this she does. After falling behind 2-4 in the opening set, Steffi wins five games in a row to take the opening set and move ahead 1-0 in the second. From then on, it is one way traffic. Steffi siezes her opportunities, and outplays the 6th seed 6-4, 6-3.

In the quarterfinals, there is the possibility of a meeting with top seeded Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario. Steffi and Arantxa are renowned for their epic battles, but it is not to be on this occasion. Sanchez-Vicario is outplayed by Anne-Gaelle Sidot in the 2nd round. The 74th ranked Frenchwoman gives Steffi a good run, and actually takes a 5-3 lead in the opening set. But, as in her previous match, Steffi takes five consecutive games to take the set and the opening game of the second. Steffi is too good for Sidot in the 2nd set, and soon victory is Steffi's - 7-5, 6-3. This victory makes Steffi the richest sportswoman in the world, as she surpasses Martina Navratilova's prize money record of $20, 344, 061. With this win, Steffi takes her career earnings to $20, 347, 942.

In the semifinals, Steffi's opponent is the 3rd seeded Belgian, Dominique van Roost. Van Roost had beaten Hingis in Z�rich, earlier in the year, and she had scored a good win over Natasha Zvereva in the quarterfinals. But Steffi is not bothered. Steffi gets off to a good start, as she takes the opening set 6-1. In the second set, the Belgian begins to find her range, and she takes it 6-3. But Steffi continues to fight, and she is rewarded for her efforts. She takes the third set, and moves into the final with a 6-1, 3-6, 6-0 victory.

Steffi's final opponent is Nathalie Tauziat, the 2nd seeded French woman. In their previous 19 meetings, Steffi had never lost to Tauziat, and it is to be no different on this occasion. Steffi starts off well, breaking early in the first set. Steffi holds her advantage to take the opening set 6-3. In the second, Steffi continues to dominate, and she wins the 105th singles title of her career 6-3, 6-4. This is Steffi's 20th consecutive victory over Nathalie Tauziat. This win moves Steffi to 17 on the world ranking list.

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1998 Leipzig Champion

After her stunning victory in Leipzig, Steffi flies to Philadelphia to play in the Advanta Championships. Steffi has won the title on two previous occasions - in 1992 and 1995 - and she is now bidding for her third.

Unseeded once again, Steffi faces American, Mary Joe Fernandez in the first round. Steffi has never lost to the American in their 15 previous meetings, but Fernandez seems determined to change that. The first set is tight, but Steffi emerges relatively unscathed 6-3. In the 2nd set, Fernandez builds a 4-3 lead, and the set ends in a tie-break. Steffi is too tough for Fernandez in the 'breaker', and she takes it 7/4. Steffi moves into Round 2, 6-3, 7-6.

Steffi's 2nd round match is a very important match, as, if she wins, she qualifies for the year ending Chase Championships in New York. Monica Seles has actually confirmed Steffi's berth in the elite 16 before the match though, as she beats Ai Sugiyama. By qualifying for the Chase Championships, Steffi becomes the only person in history to qualify for the Chase having been ranked as low as 22 just two weeks prior to the event. But this is Steffi, and we've come to expect wonders from her. In the 2nd round, Steffi faces Russian, Elena Likhovtseva, who had taken out 8th seeded Sandrine Testud in Round 1. Steffi seems nervous, as the Russian takes the opening set on a 7/5 tie-break, but Steffi then starts to claw her way back into the match. She takes the second set 6-2, and she eventually seals her berth in the quarterfinals with a 6-7, 6-2, 6-4 win.

In the quarterfinals, Steffi faces World No.2, Martina Hingis. There is a lot of pride on the line in this match, as Hingis has called Steffi a few names in the past, which have been frowned upon by the public. "Over the hill" was just one of the terms used by Hingis to describe Steffi, but Hingis is proved drastically wrong in this match. The opening set features great play from Steffi, who takes the set 6-2. In the 2nd, Hingis does pick up her game to take it 6-4. But, in the final set, despite a pulled leg muscle, Steffi plays incredible tennis. Steffi allows Hingis only 8 points in the last 5 games, as she whitewashes the Swiss miss, and moves into the semifinals with an incredible 6-2, 4-6, 6-0 victory.

In the semifinals, Steffi faces the opponent whom she beat in the Sparkassen Cup final the week before - Nathalie Tauziat. Their head-to-head meetings stand as such before the match - Matches - Graf 20 Tauziat 0 Sets - Graf 40 Tauziat 0. Steffi sets about extending these incredible figures as she races to a 5-0 lead in the first set. Tauziat regains some dignity by winning one game, but Steffi easily takes the opening set from the 6th seed 6-1. In the second set. Tauziat is able to keep it close, but, in the end, Steffi is just too strong, and she wins her 21st consecutive match against Tauziat in straight sets 6-1, 6-4.

Steffi meets World No.1, Lindsay Davenport, in the final of the tournament. This is the first meeting between the two in a final. Steffi sets about making the most of the opportunity at the start, as she takes a 4-1 lead. But Davenport then finds some form and she wins five consecutive games to take the opening set 6-4. But Steffi knows how to beat Davenport, as her 6/3 record against her shows. Steffi takes the second set, and moves ahead in the third. Davenport tries to stay with the champion, but, eventually, she is overpowered, and Steffi seals the win 4-6, 6-3, 6-4. This is Steffi's 106th career title, her 3rd Advanta Championships title, and her 2nd title in as many weeks. This also extends Steffi's winning streak in completed finals to 20, her last loss being in the 1994 US Open Final. Ironically, the last incomplete final which Steffi lost, was the Advanta Championships final in 1996, when she retired having lost the opening set to Jana Novotna. Steffi also extends her winning streak after her comeback from wrist surgery to 10 matches, having lost just 4 sets. By winning this tournament, Steffi also becomes the first unseeded player in history to defeat the World's Number 1 and 2 players in the same tournament! INCREDIBLE!

ROUND	OPPONENT	SCORE	RESULT
1	Mary Joe Fernandez	6-3, 7-6	WON
2	Elena Likhovtseva	6-7, 6-2, 6-4	WON
QF	Martina Hingis(2)	6-2, 4-6, 6-0	WON
SF	Nathalie Tauziat(6)	6-1, 6-4	WON
F	Lindsay Davenport(1)	4-6, 6-3, 6-4	WON

With her victories in Leipzig and Philadelphia, Steffi qualifies for the season-ending Chase Championships at Madison Square Garden in New York. Steffi has won this event on five occasions - 1987, 1989, 1993, 1995 and 1996 - and her form indicates that she might well add a 6th Masters title to her ever-growing list of accomplishments.

In the opening round, Steffi, whose world ranking has risen to 12, takes on defending champion, Jana Novotna. Novotna, the World No. 3, has only beaten Steffi four times in their 31 previous meetings, and Steffi looks to extend her winning record on the indoor court at Madison Square Garden. The two players are very even in the first set, and it is Novotna who goes ahead first. She breaks Steffi to lead 6-5, but the champion comes back to force a tie-break. Novotna holds two set points - Steffi saves the first, but, on the second, Novotna's forehand passing shot clips the net, and she seals the tie-break 7/5. Steffi breaks Novotna in the opening game of the second set, and she holds that advantage for the rest of the set. On set point, Steffi smashes an overhead past Novotna, and the crowd goes wild. Novotna starts to cramp in the third set, and she is no match for the in-form Steffi, who moves into the quarterfinals with her 28th win over the Czech - 6-7, 6-4, 6-1. Steffi has now beaten the World's top 3 players in just 5 days. INCREDIBLE!!

In the quarterfinals, Steffi faces another long-time rival, Monica Seles. Going into the match, Steffi leads the rivalry 8/4. Seles, the 5th seed, despite having been sick in the days prior to the match, comes out with a bang. Everything that Steffi tries is hit for a winner, and Steffi is looking more and more distressed as the match wears on. Seles loses only two points on her serve and she takes the set 6-1. But Steffi is not finished yet. The second set produces many breaks, and it is eventually Steffi who wins it 6-4. In the final set, Steffi begins to play more positively, and she breaks Seles in the 9th game. Steffi then needs five match points to close out the 6th ranked American, and she does it. Steffi moves into the semifinals with a stunning 1-6, 6-4, 6-4 victory!

Steffi's semifinal is a rematch with current World No. 1, Lindsay Davenport. Having beaten Davenport in the Philadelphia final the previous week, Steffi, one would think, would go into the match with a great deal of confidence. But she certainly has no confidence in the opening stages of the match, as Davenport streaks ahead to take the set 6-1. In the second, Steffi fights back courageously to level the match at one set all. Steffi and Lindsay exchange breaks twice in the first four games of the final set, before Steffi holds serve to lead 3-2. Steffi then holds three break points for a 4-2 lead, but she squanders all of them and Davenport levels. Steffi then has her thigh strapped due to a right hamstring strain. From this point on, Steffi is not the same player, and Davenport takes advantage of the opportunity to beat Steffi 6-1, 2-6, 6-3 in a whopper of a semifinal. Steffi's incredible winning streak is snapped at 12, but it is very encouraging to note that since Steffi lost to Serna in Montreal in August, she has lost just 2 of her 21 matches! Here's to a superb 1999 season! GO STEFFI!

ROUND	OPPONENT	SCORE	RESULT
1	Jana Novotna(3)	6-7, 6-4, 6-1	WON
QF	Monica Seles(5)	1-6, 6-4, 6-4	WON
SF	Lindsay Davenport(1)	1-6, 6-2, 3-6	LOST

After withdrawing from an exhibition in Baltimore due to her hamstring injury, Steffi plays in an exhibition match with Anna Kournikova in Cologne on the 30th of November. Despite it's 'exhibition' status, it is a competitive and good match. Steffi plays well to take the opening set 6-3. In the second set, the youngster gives her more of a fight, but, once into a tie-break, Steffi takes control and victory is soon her's 6-3, 7-6(3).

Steffi faced Kournikova again the following day in Geneva and lost 3-6, 7-5, 7-6(9-7). She then teamed up with Kournikova to take on John McEnroe and Yannick Noah in a one set doubles match. The guys beat the girls 6-3.

ROUND	OPPONENTS	SCORE	RESULT
1	Sanchez-Vicario/Zvereva(1)	5-7, 4-6	LOST