Kafelnikov became the first Russian to win an Australian Open title, while Hingis claimed her third consecutive women's singles championship.
Key Facts
- Edition
- 87th Australian Open
- Dates
- 18–31 January 1999
- Total Attendance
- 391,504 spectators
- Men's Singles Champion
- Yevgeny Kafelnikov (Russia)
- Women's Singles Champion
- Martina Hingis (Switzerland)
- Surface
- Outdoor hard courts
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Held annually at Melbourne Park, the 1999 Australian Open opened the Grand Slam calendar year. Defending men's champion Petr Korda arrived unseeded following ranking difficulties and was eliminated in the third round, leaving the title open to other contenders including fourth seed Yevgeny Kafelnikov.
The 87th Australian Open ran from 18 to 31 January 1999. Kafelnikov defeated Thomas Enqvist in four sets to claim the men's title, while Hingis defeated Amélie Mauresmo to win the women's singles for the third consecutive year. In doubles, Rafter and Björkman, Hingis and Kournikova, and de Swardt and Adams claimed their respective titles.
Kafelnikov's victory made him the first Russian of either gender to win an Australian Open. Hingis joined an elite group of women to win three straight Australian Open titles. Korda later received an ITF suspension for a doping violation, and Mauresmo, despite reaching this final, would not appear in another Grand Slam final until 2006.
Result
at Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia