1996 Italian Open (tennis) - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The 1996 Italian Open was a tennis

Tennis

Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...

tournament played on outdoor clay courts

Clay court

A clay court is one of the four different types of tennis court. Clay courts are made of crushed shale, stone or brick. The red clay is slower than the green, or Har-Tru "American" clay. The French Open uses clay courts, making it unique among the Grand Slam tournaments.Clay courts are more common...

. It was the 53rd edition of the Rome Masters

Rome Masters

The Italian Open is an annual tennis tournament held in Rome, Italy. It is the most prestigious red clay tennis tournament in the world after the French Open, with the men's competition being an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event on the Association of Tennis Professionals tour, and the women's...

and was part of the Mercedes Super 9

ATP World Tour Masters 1000

The ATP World Tour Masters 1000 is a series of nine tennis tournaments that are part of the Association of Tennis Professionals tour, held annually throughout the year in Europe, North America and Asia...

of the 1996 ATP Tour

1996 ATP Tour

The Association of Tennis Professionals Tour is the elite tour for professional tennis organized by the ATP. The ATP Tour includes the Grand Slam tournaments , the ATP Super 9, the ATP Championship Series, the ATP World Series, the ATP World Team Cup, the Davis Cup , the ATP Tour World...

and of Tier I

WTA Tier I tournaments

The WTA Tier I tournaments were Women's Tennis Association tennis elite tournaments held from 1988 until 2008 season. Minimum prize money, from 2004 is $1,340,000...

of the 1996 WTA Tour

1996 WTA Tour

The WTA Tour is the elite tour for professional women's tennis organised by the Women's Tennis Association . The WTA Tour includes the four Grand Slam tournaments, the WTA Tour Championships and the WTA Tier I, Tier II, Tier III and Tier IV events...

. Both the men's and women's events took place at the Foro Italico

Foro Italico

Foro Italico is a sports complex in Rome, Italy. It was built between 1928 and 1938 as the Foro Mussolini under the design of Enrico Del Debbio and, later, Luigi Moretti...

in Rome

Rome

Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...

in Italy

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

. The women's tournament was played from May 6 through May 12, 1996 while the men's tournament was played from May 13 through May 19, 1996.

The men's tournament was headlined by ATP No. 2, Monte Carlo, Estoril

1996 Estoril Open

The 1996 Estoril Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts at the Estoril Court Central in Oeiras in Portugal and was part of the World Series of the 1996 ATP Tour...

, Acapulco and Barcelona champion Thomas Muster

Thomas Muster

Thomas Muster is a former world no. 1 tennis player from Austria. One of the world's leading clay court players in the 1990s, Muster won the 1995 French Open and at his peak was known as "The King of Clay." In addition, he won eight Masters 1000 series titles, placing him sixth on the all-time list...

, Zagreb

1996 Croatian Indoors

The 1996 Croatian Indoors was a tennis tournament played on indoor carpet courts at the Dom Sportova in Zagreb in Croatia and was part of the World Series of the 1996 ATP Tour...

, Dubai

1996 Dubai Tennis Championships

The 1996 Dubai Tennis Championships was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts at the Aviation Club Tennis Centre in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates and was part of the World Series of the 1996 ATP Tour...

, Milan

1996 Italian Indoor

The 1996 Italian Indoor was a tennis tournament played on indoor carpet courts in Milan in Italy and was part of the Championship Series of the 1996 ATP Tour...

, Rotterdam

1996 ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament

The 1996 ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament was a tennis tournament played on indoor carpet courts at the Ahoy Rotterdam in Rotterdam in the Netherlands and was part of the World Series of the 1996 ATP Tour. The tournament ran from March 4 through March 10, 1996.The singles draw featured World No...

titlist and Key Biscayne runner-up Goran Ivanišević

Goran Ivaniševic

Goran Ivanišević is a retired Croatian professional tennis player. He is best remembered for being the only person to win the men's singles title at Wimbledon as a wildcard. He achieved this in 2001, having previously been runner-up at the championships in 1992, 1994 and 1998. Ivanišević is famous...

and Adelaide winner, St. Petersburg

1996 St. Petersburg Open

The 1996 St. Petersburg Open was a tennis tournament played on indoor carpet courts at the Petersburg Sports and Concert Complex in Saint Petersburg in Russia and was part of the World Series of the 1996 ATP Tour...

and Rotterdam

1996 ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament

finalist Yevgeny Kafelnikov

Yevgeny Kafelnikov

Yevgeny Aleksandrovich Kafelnikov is a former World No. 1 tennis player from Russia. He won two Grand Slam singles titles , four Grand Slam doubles titles, and the men's singles gold medal at the Sydney Olympic Games. He also helped Russia win the Davis Cup in 2002...

. Also present were Chennai winner Thomas Enqvist

Thomas Enqvist

Thomas Karl Johan Enqvist is a former professional tennis player from Sweden.He was quickly touted as the only Swede who could follow in the footsteps of Stefan Edberg and Björn Borg, and was ranked as high as No. 4 on the ATP Rankings.Enqvist was a force on the Swedish Davis Cup team...

, Philadelphia

1996 Comcast U.S. Indoor

The 1996 Comcast U.S. Indoor was a tennis tournament played on indoor carpet courts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the United States and was part of the Championship Series of the 1996 ATP Tour...

champion Jim Courier

Jim Courier

James Spencer "Jim" Courier, Jr. is a former world no. 1 professional tennis player from the United States. During his career, he won four Grand Slam singles titles, two at the French Open and two at the Australian Open...

, Wayne Ferreira

Wayne Ferreira

Wayne Richard Ferreira is a former tennis player from South Africa. He attended Parktown Boys' High School....

, Marcelo Ríos

Marcelo Ríos

Marcelo Andrés Ríos Mayorga is a former World No. 1 tennis player from Chile. Nicknamed El Chino and El zurdo de Vitacura , he became the first Latin American player to reach the top position on the Association of Tennis Professionals singles rankings in 1998. He held the World No...

and Sergi Bruguera

Sergi Bruguera

Sergi Bruguera i Torner is a former professional tennis player from Spain. He is best remembered for winning consecutive men's singles titles at the French Open in 1993 and 1994.-Career:...

.

The women's field was led by WTA No. 1, Indian Wells, Key Biscayne, Berlin

1996 WTA German Open

The 1996 WTA German Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts at the Rot-Weiss Tennis Club in Berlin in Germany that was part of Tier I of the 1996 WTA Tour...

champion and WTA Tour Championships

1996 WTA Tour Championships

The 1996 Chase Championships was a tennis tournament played on indoor carpet courts at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York in the United States. It was the 25th edition of the year-end singles championships, the 21st edition of the year-end doubles championships, and was part of the...

defending champion Steffi Graf

Steffi Graf

Steffi Graf is a former World No. 1 German tennis player.In total, Graf won 22 Grand Slam singles titles, second among male and female players only to Margaret Court's 24...

, Indian Wells, Hamburg

1996 Rexona Cup

The 1996 Rexona Cup was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts at the Am Rothenbaum in Hamburg in Germany that was part of Tier II of the 1996 WTA Tour...

runner-up and Australian Open

1996 Australian Open

The 1996 Australian Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts at Melbourne Park in Melbourne in Victoria in Australia. It was the 84th edition of the Australian Open and was held from 15 through 28 January 1996.-Men's Singles:...

quarterfinalist Conchita Martínez

Conchita Martínez

Inmaculada Concepción Martínez Bernat is a former professional tennis player from Monzón, Aragón, Spain. She is the only Spanish woman to have won the singles title at Wimbledon, when she beat Martina Navrátilová in the 1994 Women's Singles. She also was the singles runner-up at the 1998...

and Hilton Head

1996 Family Circle Cup

The 1996 Family Circle Cup was a 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 1996 WTA Tour...

winner and Wimbledon

1995 Wimbledon Championships

The 1995 Wimbledon Championships was a tennis tournament played on :grass courts at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon in London in England...

runner-up Arantxa Sánchez Vicario

Arantxa Sánchez Vicario

Aránzazu 'Arantxa' Isabel Maria Sánchez Vicario is a Spanish former professional tennis player...

. Also competing were Tokyo

1996 Toray Pan Pacific Open

The 1996 Toray Pan Pacific Open was a tennis tournament played on indoor carpet courts at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium in Tokyo in Japan that was part of Tier I of the 1996 WTA Tour...

winner Iva Majoli

Iva Majoli

Iva Majoli Marić is a former professional tennis player from Croatia. She upset Martina Hingis to win the women's singles title at the French Open in 1997. Majoli also won eight singles titles and one women's doubles title during her career.-Career:Majoli turned professional in 1991 at the age...

, Magdalena Maleeva

Magdalena Maleeva

Magdalena Maleeva is a Bulgarian former tennis player. She played on the WTA tour competing in singles and doubles, from April 1989 to June 2007. Her best position in the WTA Tour was no. 4 between January 29 to February 4, 1996....

, Martina Hingis

Martina Hingis

Martina Hingis is a retired Swiss professional tennis player who spent a total of 209 weeks as World No. 1. She won five Grand Slam singles titles...

, Irina Spîrlea

Irina Spîrlea

Irina Spîrlea is a former tennis player from Romania, who turned professional in 1990. She won four singles and six doubles titles during her career. The right-hander reached her highest individual ranking on the WTA Tour on October 13, 1997, when she became number 7 in the world...

and Nathalie Tauziat

Nathalie Tauziat

Nathalie Tauziat is a former professional tennis player from France. She was the runner-up in women's singles at the 1998 Wimbledon Championships. Her career-high singles ranking was third in 2000....

Men's Singles

Thomas Muster
Thomas Muster
Thomas Muster is a former world no. 1 tennis player from Austria. One of the world's leading clay court players in the 1990s, Muster won the 1995 French Open and at his peak was known as "The King of Clay." In addition, he won eight Masters 1000 series titles, placing him sixth on the all-time list...

defeated

Richard Krajicek

Richard Peter Stanislav Krajicek is a Dutch former professional tennis player. In 1996 he won the men's singles title at Wimbledon, the only Dutch player to have done so. In the quarterfinals of that tournament he defeated Pete Sampras. This was Sampras' only singles defeat at Wimbledon between...

6–2, 6–4, 3–6, 6–3

It was Muster's 5th title of the year and the 41st of his career. It was his 2nd Masters title of the year and his 7th overall. It was his 3rd title at the event, having also won in 1990 and 1995.

Women's Singles

Conchita Martínez
Conchita Martínez
Inmaculada Concepción Martínez Bernat is a former professional tennis player from Monzón, Aragón, Spain. She is the only Spanish woman to have won the singles title at Wimbledon, when she beat Martina Navrátilová in the 1994 Women's Singles. She also was the singles runner-up at the 1998...

defeated

Martina Hingis

Martina Hingis is a retired Swiss professional tennis player who spent a total of 209 weeks as World No. 1. She won five Grand Slam singles titles...

6–2, 6–3

It was Martínez's 1st title of the year and the 31st of her career. It was her 1st Tier I title of the year and her 6th overall. It was her 4th title at the event, having also won in 1993, 1994 and 1995.

Men's Doubles

Byron Black
Byron Black
Byron Black is a former touring professional tennis and Davis Cup player for Zimbabwe.- Biography :He is the brother of Cara and Wayne Black, both professional tennis players...

/

Grant Connell
Grant Connell
Grant Connell is a former professional tennis player from Canada. He was one of the world's top doubles player from the early through middle 1990s....

defeated

Libor Pimek

Libor Pimek is a former professional male tennis player.Pimek's best Grand Slam singles result came at the 1987 US Open when he reached the 3rd round...

Byron Talbot

Byron Talbot , is a former professional tennis player from South Africa. He enjoyed most of his tennis success while playing doubles. During his career he won seven doubles titles and finished runner-up an additional six times...

6–2, 6–3

It was Black's 3rd title of the year and the 15th of his career. It was Connell's 2nd title of the year and the 19th of his career.

Women's Doubles

Arantxa Sánchez Vicario
Arantxa Sánchez Vicario
Aránzazu 'Arantxa' Isabel Maria Sánchez Vicario is a Spanish former professional tennis player...

/

Irina Spîrlea
Irina Spîrlea
Irina Spîrlea is a former tennis player from Romania, who turned professional in 1990. She won four singles and six doubles titles during her career. The right-hander reached her highest individual ranking on the WTA Tour on October 13, 1997, when she became number 7 in the world...

defeated

Gigi Fernández

Beatriz "Gigi" Fernández is a former professional tennis player, the first female athlete from her native Puerto Rico to turn professional, the first Puerto Rican woman to ever win an Olympic gold medal and the first to be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.Fernandez won 17 Grand...

Martina Hingis

Martina Hingis is a retired Swiss professional tennis player who spent a total of 209 weeks as World No. 1. She won five Grand Slam singles titles...

6–4, 3–6, 6–3

It was Sánchez Vicario's 8th title of the year and the 70th of her career. It was Spîrlea's 2nd title of the year and the 6th of her career.

External links

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