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| �1998 ESPN/CNN/SI |
| Eltingh/Haarhuis ends partnership in fashion. |
Posted: Sunday November 22, 1998 06:04 PM
HARTFORD, Connecticut (Reuters) -- Top-seeded Dutchmen Jacco Eltingh and Paul Haarhuis ended their successful doubles partnership on a high note by winning the season-ending $800,000 ATP Tour World Doubles Championship on Sunday.
The 28-year-old Eltingh, who had announced he would retire at the end of the year, paired with Haarhuis for a 6-4 6-2 7-5 victory over fourth seeds Mark Knowles of the Bahamas and Daniel Nestor of Canada. The Dutch duo captured their second world title, going undefeated in five matches this week.
Eltingh and Haarhuis have dominated the head-to-head meetings with Knowles and Nestor, winning nine of 10 matches.
Two of their previous encounters came this year, including the French Open final.
The Dutchmen already had clinched the year-end world number one ranking for the second time. Eltingh and Haarhuis have won 39 career doubles titles, including this event in 1993 and 10 this year. They have won titles on all four surfaces, with 15 of the 39 titles coming in the two months after the U.S. Open.
Eltingh was a top-20 singles player 18 months ago, but knee problems forced him to play only doubles.
This year, he won three of the four Grand Slams. He won the French Open and Wimbledon with Haarhuis after opening the year with a win at the Australian Open with Jonas Bjorkman of Sweden.
Haarhuis skipped Australia to be home for the birth of his first son, while Eltingh left the U.S. Open unexpectedly when his wife went into early labor.
Knowles and Nestor both were hampered by rib injuries this year that limited them to just 12 events as a team.
However, they did manage to reach four finals, including the French and U.S. Opens, and won the Super 9 event in Cincinnati. Overall, they have won nine titles together, including five Super 9 titles.
