Madison Square Garden - 17 nov.98
A host of familiar faces were selected as recipients for the 1998 COREL WTA TOUR awards, it was announced today.
Each of the winners will be awarded custom-designed Waterford Crystal trophies in separate on-court ceremonies during the Chase
Championships this week at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Balloting was conducted among players, worldwide media, and tournaments from early September through November 4. Balloting
for the Most Exciting Player was conducted by fans on the Tour's website at http://www.corelwtatour.com and on-site at several
events, including the U.S. Open. Over 60,000 fans cast ballots.
Current World Number One Lindsay Davenport was the only multiple winner. Davenport was a near- unanimous selection for
the Player of the Year Award, which was selected by worldwide media, and also took the Diamond Aces Award, which is selected by
worldwide tournaments and goes to the player who has done the most to help grow the game both on and off the court.
Other players taking awards included Monica Seles, who was selected as "Comeback Player of the Year," and Steffi Graf, who was selected
by the fans as the Tour's "Most Exciting Player" for the second time in three years. The doubles team of Martina Hingis and Jana
Novotna won Doubles Team of the Year, while Serena Williams followed in the steps of her older sister Venus, taking "Newcomer of the
Year." Venus won the same award in 1997.
Switzerland's Patty Schnyder, who took five titles and broke
into the Top 10 in 1998, was selected as "Most Improved Player," while the players selected Yayuk Basuki for the Karen Krantzke
Sportsmanship Award and Joannette Kruger for the Player Service Award.
In addition to the player awards three tournaments were
selected for their outstanding efforts. The duMaurier Open in Montreal, Canada was named by the players as the Tier I/II
Tournament of the Year, while the Bell Challenge in Quebec City, Canada was selected as the Tier III/IV Tournament of the Year,
giving Tennis Canada a clean sweep. It is the fourth straight year the Bell Challenge has been honored. In addition, the IGA
Classic in Oklahoma City, OK USA was selected for the Tour's Tournament Achievement Award for its outstanding efforts in
marketing the game and attracting new fans. The IGA Classic set a tournament attendance record this past February, drawing over
23,000 fans.
The awards will be presented throughout the course of the week, with Davenport being honored in an on- court
ceremony prior to Saturday's Chase Championships semi-finals at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Two other awards, the David Gray Service Award and the Ted Tinling Media Award, will be announced later in the week.
PLAYER OF THE YEAR (selected by media) - Lindsay Davenport (USA)
DOUBLES TEAM OF THE YEAR (selected by media) - Martina Hingis / Jana Novotna
MOST IMPROVED PLAYER (selected by media) - Patty Schnyder (SUI)
NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR (selected by media) - Serena Williams (USA)
COMEBACK PLAYER OF THE YEAR (selected by media) - Monica Seles (USA)
DIAMOND ACES AWARD (selected by tournaments) - Lindsay Davenport (USA)
MOST EXCITING PLAYER (selected by fans) - Steffi Graf (GER)
KAREN KRANTZCKE SPORTSMANSHIP (selected by players) - Yayuk Basuki (IND)
PLAYER SERVICE (selected by players) - Joanette Kruger (RSA)
TIER I/II TOURNAMENT OF THE YEAR (selected by players) - Canadian Open, Montreal, Canada
TIER III/IV TOURNAMENT OF THE YEAR (selected by players) - Bell Challenge, Quebec City, Canada
(Sources from Corel WTA Tour)
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| Joannette Kruger 1998 Player Services |
Steffi Graf 1998 Most Exciting Player |
Martina Hingis 1998 Double Team |
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| Patty Schnyder 1998 Most Improved Player |
Yayuk Basuki 1998 Karen Krantzke Sportsmanship |
Lindsay Davenport 1998 Diamond ACES |
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| Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario 1998 Chase Player of the Year |
Pam Shriver 1998 Awards Emcee |
Serena Williams 1998 Newcomer of the Year |