Mauresmo's first WTA title came in Bratislava against Clijsters
At the Eurotel Slovak Open in Bratislava, Amelie Mauresmo won her debut WTA singles trophy by defeating Kim Clijsters 6-3, 6-3. The match was the first of 15 meetings between two players who later reached world No 1, and it began Mauresmo's run to 25 career singles titles. The article also traces the early progress of both competitors before that 1999 final.
Mauresmo, then 20, arrived in Bratislava ranked just outside the top 10 after a breakthrough season that included an Australian Open final and a Paris-Coubertin final. The Eurotel Slovak Open, staged on indoor hard courts with a $111,000 purse, had Mauresmo and Nathalie Dechy as its top two seeds.
Clijsters, 16, had climbed from No 409 at the end of 1998 to No 54. She qualified at Wimbledon and reached the fourth round, beat Amanda Coetzer, and won Luxembourg. Their Bratislava final was the first of 15 career meetings and launched Mauresmo's 25-title career.
For young tennis players and their families, Mauresmo’s and Clijsters’s early success could reinforce the value of gradual development and seizing chances at a young age. Fans may see the match as an early marker of a long rivalry between future No 1s, while the tournament’s modest prize purse suggests how elite careers can begin at smaller events. Its broader social impact is likely limited, but it may have helped draw attention to women’s tennis in France, Belgium, and Slovakia.