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Copyrights - Seven Network (Australia)
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Thank you for your gracious use of this classic match!
PertSnergleman's Review:
Monica Seles won her first Australian Open and her second Grand Slam by outlasting, out-playing and out-classing Jana Novotna 5-7, 6-3, 6-1.
The deceptively cute 17-year-old Yugoslav also entered the record book as the youngest women's champion, shaving five months off the mark set 31 years ago by Hall of Fame great Margaret Court of Australia.
In 1990, this two-fisted barrel of dynamite established herself as the future heiress to the throne of No. 1 Steffi Graf by winning the French Open, the Virginia Slims Championships and seven other tour titles to claim the world`s No. 2 ranking... and elevates Seles into striking range of the struggling Graf and her four-year reign as the Queen of the WTA...
Seles took the lead for good at 2-1 in the last set by storming back from a 0-30 hole to break serve. At 30-30, Seles, stretched out far to her backhand side, flicked a smashing crosscourt service return that Novotna could not handle. On the next point, Novotna lamely sent an overhead shot wide.
Seles was off and running from there to the victory ceremony to climax her Australian Open debut. Over the final four games, Seles dominated the outgunned challenger.
The 10th-seeded Novotna, who was bidding to become the tournament`s lowest-seeded champion since 1978, opened with a crafty mixture of baseline play mixed with drop shots and strong serving to vault to a 3-1 lead over an out-of-sync Seles.
Seles had reached the final with a 6-3, 0-6, 9-7 victory over American Mary Joe Fernandez on a sweltering center court. Novotna, in addition to her quarterfinal victory over Graf, eliminated Arantxa Sanchez Vicario 6-2, 6-4 in the semifinals.
It was so hot Thursday that Seles-tired from the previous day`s doubles play and singles practice-had to be told what the final score was of her marathon match with Fernandez.
''If you asked me what happened, I can't recall it, really,'' said Seles, who rarely has been at a loss for words during the tournament.
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