Monica Seles vs Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario 1998 Tokyo Final Highlights

[@andrewmoores7166]

Don’t think we’ve ever seen accuracy like Seles’ ground strokes since she retired. They can all belt the ball now but not with the control she did it. Always a great matchup with ASV!

[@jeffreykaufmann2867]

I agree. She's also the most aggressive tennis player I have ever seen Man or Woman. Aiming for the lines and not afraid to hit over the highest part of the net. Even Novak Djokovic Hits Crosscourt most of the time and avoids the highest part of the net.

[@bryguy0111]

Good form here from both players .monica still not in 100 % fitness she moved way better before the stabbing but she was still amazing any year she played ❤

[@slimman1222]

At 12:17, even though the game is very tight, Seles still shows her sportsmanship and gives her opponent applause for a great return. She's a real and always champion.

[@HOGARTHSGLOBALASTROLOGY]

Wow, seeing these two just letting rip in this very high-quality match is great. Sorry but it makes the modern players look one-dimensional: both players used every shot in the book and then some. Monica volleyed, lobbed, and retrieved in this match along with her amazing power angles that none can produce today. These two would easily be in the top 10 today with this kind of quality. Some of Monica's returns were absolute bullets to the lines. Sanchez was simply sensational with her counterpunching and imaginative shot play: the match had it all!

[@ΝτίναΔρένου-ω5ψ]

Μonica flushing wherever you are.You are unbearably good.The best number 1 in the world ever!

[@謝皓宜]

Seles has the best baseline smash of all time until now no other played can do better than her.

[@thomasmiles340]

Liked your comment. For a baseline player, Seles had a really good smash. Cheers.

[@peterzhou9267]

At the same time her smash at the net was problematic. She would instead use swing volleys whenever she could to avoid the smash, treating the ball like a rally ball. Her 98' FO final was a big proof of it.

[@dorianreuter8735]

Hénin had an excellent smash from the baseline too, especially considering that she was quite small

[@dinomijatovic3921]

Nalbandian too!

[@sylvainhyais8166]

High quality stuff, great rallies between these 2 fighters .Two of the best players of the nineties.

[@Skirne]

Holy crap! Now those were some amazing rallies. Thanks for the upload!

[@albertobello333]

Me encanta este partido!!! Una lucha entre dos grandes jugadoras con magníficos puntos!!! Más partidos de Sanchez Vicario por favor!!!

[@desireeeliz4238]

The best for Seles is her anticipation, she looks slower when when chasing the balls, but she knew where her opponent put the ball, good peripheral vision, second is her focus and concentration, she really concentrates on her weaknesses, 3rd is her fighting spirit, she has a never say die attitude, shes a fighter even when she drops a set and trying to bounce back, she has that hard fighting attitude and mental fortitude...

[@akimbohr]

Arancha's defense was good. She did her best but Monica was a merciless attacker who never gave up hitting hard till the last point

[@laviniaparisi9154]

Bellissimo match tra le due giocatrici forse più grintose della storia del tennis. La Seles nel '98 sembrava in forma. Considerato che la Hingis già dava segni di calo, che la Graf era fuori per infortunio e che le Williams non erano ancora mature per dominare, ero convinta che Monica avrebbe ripreso a dominare. Ma poi la sconfitta alla finale del Roland Garros proprio contro Arantxa le tagliò le gambe, in aggiunta, ovviamente, al dolore per la morte del papà. Peccato!😢

[@valentinodelpiero4861]

Love the 98 Monica

[@jonnyjobes3621]

The point at 4.17 is a rarity - Arantxa bossing Monica with 3 consecutive forehands! A great match, two Queens. Arantxa will forever be my all time no.1 hero.

[@gk891]

That was an amazing defensive lob that Seles hit at 19:33.

[@Ricky-mo6mv]

Definitely. She gained control of that point in a Hingis - like fashion.

[@nchong2569]

Sanchez’s forehand was actually quite good in this match 🧐

[@FlabbyTitmuss]

It was the key to her playing much better in 1998. It didn’t last, sadly.

[@8sabu1982]

Matches of the Time 😍😍

[@8sabu1982]

Gran Partido 😻😻

[@CarlosSanchez-no4lj]

Arantxa is the most fighting player in history.

[@CarlosSanchez-no4lj]

@Jeb Clar Monica was from another planet. The merit of Arantxa is that she was not scared by any of them. In fact, she won her second Roland Garros against Monica after the savage attack in Germany. But Monica for me is the most aggressive, shocking and devastating player that women's tennis has ever had. Without a doubt, for me, the best. And I am Spanish.

[@harryrinaldi2812]

@@CarlosSanchez-no4lj Aranxta second Rolland Garros was in 1994 against Mary Pierce

[@CarlosSanchez-no4lj]

@@harryrinaldi2812 yes, I was wrong. Tnx. The third.

[@jdfoehl]

Seles offset her relatively low level of agility and speed with power

[@zeddeka]

She also had a huge reach - Martina Navratilova used to call her the "longest arm in tennis" because she could use her long arms to get to balls without having to move as much.

[@zeddeka]

Monica hitting a couple of one handed slice backhands in this match. Something she could do but did very rarely.

[@zeddeka]

Barbara Potter once said that she felt one of the weaker spots in Arantxa's game was her return of serve. You can see Monica getting some short attackable returns from Arantxa here.

[@8sabu1982]

Great Champions 😍😍

[@davideferrari5702]

Che fenomeno la Seles....

[@bulentkaya7481]

Monica❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@trents3515]

a good match. some really good points, too.

[@jl3322]

Seles looked like she was wearing an inner tube under her dress. If she had really worked out/lost weight and got into shape as well as learn to come to the net after her good serves along with playing past 29 yrs of age (retired in 2002) she certainly could have added multiple GS’s to her total of 9.

[@ChicanoPhD]

She probably was still mourning her father, but overall I agree. 1996-1998 were her years to add 3-5 more slams, especially at the French and Aus Open.

[@Tjordful]

@@ChicanoPhD she could have won 2002 aus open she lost in three tough sets to hingis and would have faced capriati in final

[@richardross4677]

She actually retired in 2003. She played the 2003 French, that was her last slam.

[@jl3322]

@@richardross4677 I stand corrected👍🏿

[@richardross4677]

@@jl3322 No problem. I still agree with you overall. Although turning 30, and the Williams sister now dominant, I think her biggest window would have been up by then. Tennis was not like today, where for the first time in history, you see numerous men and women playing near peak tennis well into their 30s. Probably due to advanced health and coaching intelligence (or improved PEDs, who knows). The 96-98 period, and even the 99-2001 period, she would have done much better had she kept the weight down to say where she got to for the 98 French, with maybe just adding a bit of muscle to that, as she possibly got too thin for that event. And she was still doing pretty well even in that shape.

[@3883melange]

So good!!

[@planettennis2822]

Arantxa fue beneficiada por Hamburgo 93. Con Seles en cancha nunca hubiera sido número 1.

[@Samramos4488]

ASV WAS TOTALLY DESTROYED BY SELES THE GOAT