from Tennis en español (issue of June 1993) 
by Miguel Angel Zubiarrain and Elena Loza
translated into English by Mauro Cappiello

The "Villa de Madrid" tournament, Grupo Zeta Trophy, Chesterfield Open, held between April 26 and May 2, with its long tradition, perfectly reflects in itself the number of issues that it aims to merge and that, for now, transform the event in a kind of Madrid regional competition, in any Sunday of the year, where anything can happen.

It's a good tournament and improves every year, but is not promoted as required. The social aspect prevails on sports and this is the mistake. With the fame that you want to get, dear organizers, all the unnecessary that surrounds it should not interfere with the essential, tennis. As for other issues, watch out, that Saturday May 1st, with or without ticket, inside the Chamartín Tennis Club there were about 10,000 people when the capacity of the stands is around 5,500. Disgraces are usually accidental, but if you prevent them, you avoid the risk. Afterwards, you can't complain.

Working in the tournament of Madrid is quite complicated as the continously changing criteria of the organizers confuse the volunteers charged to meet the press and to follow their orders to the letter. The queues for the credentials often exceeded two hours, the access to courts for photographers was one day here and the other day there and the place reserved to the press was perfect for them to perform the stunts of the unique "Pinito del Oro". Something to tell, in the end...

EDBERG AND BECKER, FAVORITES OF THE SEEDING

Stefan Edberg and Boris Becker started the tournament being seeded one and two, but there were more expectations on some of the Spanish specialists of claycourts as Carlos Costa and especially Sergi Bruguera, coming straight from Monte Carlo where he had graduated brilliant champion. Eventually, the Swede Edberg, the most elegant tennis player on the tour, took the final victory and the almost thirteen million pesetas of award, dazzling fans that day after day gathered at Chamartín Tennis Club, in spite of inclement weather.

With a game style more suited to the fast courts, based on serve and volley, he was able to impose on experts of slow surfaces in their home, even without losing a set.

«I think this has been my best week of tennis in a long time and I feel that I played the best match of my life on clay. I'm very satisfied,» Stefan Edberg would say after his victory and added laughing: «The crowd has been phenomenal. I hope to come back to Madrid».

SWEET AND BITTER

If Edberg touched perfection in the Spanish capital, Boris Becker collected his third consecutive failure in the claycourt season after Nice and Monte Carlo.

The German is poised to retire from tennis without a single victory on a surface that is ending up being damned for him. Becker lost in the first round against Argentine Franco Davin and in doubles, with Brazilian Cassio Motta as his partner, ended his run in Madrid in the semifinals against Costa and Carbonell.

On his way to victory, Edberg got rid of Jose Antonio Conde (6-0, 6-3), Jonas Svensson (6-4, 6-3), Alex Corretja (6-3, 6-2), Emilio Sánchez Vicario (6-0, 7-5) and Sergi Bruguera (6-3, 6-3, 6-2).

THE SPANIARDS WELL

The final draw had the participation of 14 Spanish players. Obviously, with such a large group, there were many kind of results, but six quarter-finalists, three semifinalists and a runner-up show that Spanish tennis is going through a good period.

In the first round fell Conde, Arrese, Roig, Mancisidor, Gorriz and Rascon, highlighting triumphs for Burillo against Mattar, Clavet against Hlasek and Corretja against Arrese.

In the second round, the only Spanish beaten was "Pato" Clavet, at the hands of Jordi Burillo, pupil of another "Pato", Alvarez, 6-4, 7-5, in what was the surprise of the day. In other matches, Corretja beat Markus, Costa Jarryd, Emilio Sanchez Olhovskiy, Bruguera Filippini and Carbonell Oncins.

EDBERG, ONLY FOREIGN SURVIVOR

In the quarterfinals, Stefan Edberg easily dumped Alex Corretja (6-3, 6-2), giving evidence that he had not come to Madrid for a ride. Fans could enjoy his constant attacking game, in front of which the willful Catalan player could do nothing.

Emilio Sanchez Vicario starred the relative surprise of the day beating Carlos Costa 7-6, 4-6, 7-5. The latter, with a 5-4, 0-30 advantage in the third set, finally squandered a great chance hitting out an easy "smash" that would have allowed him to have three match points. But he wasted it and, then, the match.

Sergi Bruguera suffered incredibly to subdue Jordi Burillo. He needed three sets, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3. The latter had many chances to send Bruguera out of the tournament, but lacked experience.

Tomas Carbonell ended the hopes of Franco Davin, the executioner of Boris Becker, early, and Andrei Chesnokov, later. The Spanish, after losing the first set 3-6, eventually imposed on the Argentine in the following two 6-4, 6-1.

EDBERG AND BRUGUERA, THE DESIRED FINAL

The semifinals of the tournament Villa de Madrid between Edberg and Sanchez, on one side, and Bruguera and Carbonell, on the other, were played with the rain as protagonist. There were no surprises. Despite stoppages in play due to the showers Edberg and Bruguera imposed on Sanchez and Carbonell, respectively. The No. 1 seed beat Emilio 6-0, 7-5, while Sergi defeated Thomas 7-5, 6-1. On the eve if the tournament, it was difficult to find a more interesting final. The following day two top ten players were going to be protagonists: Edberg, number three, opposed to number nine, Sergi Bruguera.

EDBERG TOPS BRUGUERA

There was no color in the final. The Swede launched into a relentless attack from the first ball of the match and never allowed the Spaniard to find his game rhythm. Edberg served accurately and volleyed with skill and when he was forced to stay back he played on Bruguera's backhand and, after two steps forward, he settled at the net to end the point. The audience enjoyed watching a serve and volley specialist play with such mastery on clay. It's a shame that Bruguera could oppose such a poor contest, but often the moral of our best player of the moment is this. The truth is that he failed to find a way to contrast the perfect game of his rival, although, on a slow court, we expected more of him.

In doubles, the champions were Carlos Costa and Thomas Carbonell who defeated Luke Jensen and Scott Melville.