Jana Novotná was a Czech professional tennis player. She played a serve and volley game, an increasingly rare style of play among women during her career. Novotná won the women's singles title at Wimbledon in 1998, and was runner-up in three other majors. Novotná also won 12 major women's doubles titles, four major mixed doubles titles, and three Olympic medals. She reached a career-high singles ranking of world No. 2 in 1997, and held the No. 1 ranking in doubles for 67 weeks.
Iva Majoli is a former professional tennis player from Croatia who played for both Yugoslavia and Croatia. She upset Martina Hingis to win the women's singles title at the French Open in 1997. Majoli also won seven other singles titles and one doubles title during her career. She reached a career-high singles ranking of world No. 4, in February 1996.
Barbara Schett Eagle is an Austrian former professional tennis player, who reached her highest singles ranking of world No. 7 in September 1999. Between 1993 and 2004 she played in 48 matches for the Austria Fed Cup team, winning 30. She also represented Austria at the 2000 Sydney Olympics in singles and doubles, reaching the quarterfinals of the singles event. She retired after the 2005 Australian Open and now works for Eurosport as a commentator and presenter.
Steffi Graf defeated Martina Hingis in the final, 4–6, 7–5, 6–2 to win the women's singles tennis title at the 1999 French Open. It was her Open Era record-extending 22nd and final major singles title, and she equaled Chris Evert's record of nine French Open final appearances. Graf also became the first player in the Open Era to defeat the top-three ranked players at the same major; defeating world No. 2 Lindsay Davenport in the quarterfinals, No. 3 Seles in the semifinals and No. 1 Hingis in the final. Hingis was attempting to complete the career Grand Slam in singles.
The 1998 du Maurier Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 109th edition of the Canada Masters and was part of the Super 9 of the 1998 ATP Tour and of Tier I of the 1998 WTA Tour. The men's event took place at the National Tennis Centre in Toronto in Canada from August 3 through August 10, 1998, while the women's event took place at the du Maurier Stadium in Montreal in Canada from August 17 through August 23, 1998.
The 1998 Lipton Championships was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 14th edition of the Miami Masters and was part of the Super 9 of the 1998 ATP Tour and of Tier I of the 1998 WTA Tour. Both the men's and the women's events took place at the Tennis Center at Crandon Park in Key Biscayne, Florida in the United States from March 16 through March 29, 1998.
The 1996 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix was a women's tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts at the Filderstadt Tennis Club in Filderstadt in Germany that was part of Tier II of the 1996 WTA Tour. It was the 19th edition of the tournament and was held from 7 October until 13 October 1996. Eighth-seeded Martina Hingis won the singles title.
The 1996 European Indoors was a women's tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts at the Hallenstadion in Zürich in Switzerland that was part of Tier I of the 1996 WTA Tour. The tournament was held from 14 October through 20 October 1996. Fourth-seeded Jana Novotná won the singles titles and earned $150,000 first-prize money.
The 1997 Sparkassen Cup was a women's tennis tournament played on indoor carpet courta in Leipzig, Germany that was part of the Tier II category of the 1997 WTA Tour. It was the eighth edition of the tournament and was held from 22 September until 28 September 1997. Second-seeded Jana Novotná won the singles title, her second at the event after 1994.
The 1997 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix was a women's tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts at the Filderstadt Tennis Club in Filderstadt in Germany that was part of Tier II of the 1997 WTA Tour. It was the 20th edition of the tournament and was held from 6 October through 12 October 1997. First-seeded Martina Hingis won the singles title, her second consecutive at the event.
The 1997 Advanta Championships of Philadelphia was a women's tennis tournament played on indoor carpet courts at the Villanova University Pavilion in Villanova, Pennsylvania in the United States that was part of Tier II of the 1997 WTA Tour. It was the 15th edition of the tournament and was held from November 10 through November 16, 1997. First-seeded Martina Hingis won the singles title.
Iva Majoli was the defending champion but lost in the second round to Barbara Schett.
Anke Huber and Mary Pierce were the defending champions but did not compete that year.
The 1999 Family Circle Cup was a women's tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts at the Sea Pines Plantation on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina in the United States that was part of Tier I of the 1999 WTA Tour. It was the 27th edition of the tournament and was held from March 29 through April 4, 1999. Martina Hingis won the singles title.
Lindsay Davenport and Corina Morariu defeated Mariaan de Swardt and Elena Tatarkova in the final, 6–4, 6–4 to win the ladies' doubles tennis title at the 1999 Wimbledon Championships.
The 1999 Australian Open women's doubles was the women's doubles event of the eighty-seventh edition of the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam of the year and the most prestigious tournament in the Asia-Pacific and the Southern Hemisphere. Martina Hingis and Mirjana Lučić were the defending champions, but Hingis competed with Russian Anna Kournikova, and Lučić competed with Frenchwoman Mary Pierce. Lučić and Pierce were defeated in the first round by Christina Singer and Helena Vildová.
Hingis and Kournikova, however, ended up winning the title, defeating first seeds Lindsay Davenport and Natasha Zvereva, 7–5, 6–3. With this win, Hingis won her fifth consecutive Grand Slam title in doubles, and became the only woman to have won three consecutive Australian Open titles in singles and doubles simultaneously. Hingis and her partners defeated Davenport/Zvereva for all five consecutive women's doubles titles starting with the 1998 Australian and ending with the 1999 Australian Open. It was Davenport's fourth consecutive defeat at an Australian Open final.
Serena and Venus Williams defeated Martina Hingis and Anna Kournikova in the final, 6–3, 6–7(2–7), 8–6 to win the women's doubles tennis title at the 1999 French Open. It was the first major title for the Williams sisters, and would be their first step towards completing the career Golden Slam in doubles.
Defending champion Jana Novotná and her partner Martina Hingis defeated the other defending champion Lindsay Davenport and her partner Natasha Zvereva in the final, 6–3, 6–3 to win the women's doubles tennis title at the 1998 US Open. They did not drop a single set en route to the title. With the win, Hingis became the third woman in the Open Era to complete a Grand Slam in doubles, after Martina Navratilova and Pam Shriver. Additionally, Hingis and her partners defeated Davenport/Zvereva in all four major finals in 1998.
Martina Hingis and Jana Novotná defeated the defending champion Natasha Zvereva and her partner Lindsay Davenport in the final, 6–1, 7–6(7–4) to win the women's doubles tennis title at the 1998 French Open. They did not drop a single set en route to the title. It was the second step in an eventual Grand Slam for Hingis.
Martina Hingis and Jana Novotná defeated the defending champion Natasha Zvereva and her partner Lindsay Davenport in the final, 7–6(7–4), 6–4 to win the ladies' doubles tennis title at the 1998 Wimbledon Championships. It was the third step in an eventual Grand Slam for Hingis.
Martina Hingis 
Barbara Schett / 