1998 Fed Cup World Group#Final
{{main|1998 Fed Cup}}
{{Infobox tennis tournament year|1998|Fed Cup World Group
| date=18 April – 20 September
| edition=8th
| champ={{fed-big|ESP}}
| main_name=Fed Cup
}}
The World Group was the highest level of Fed Cup competition in 1998. Eight nations competed in a three-round knockout competition. France was the defending champion, but they were defeated in the semifinals by Switzerland. Spain defeated Switzerland to capture their fifth title.
Participating teams
| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;" |
| colspan=4|Participating teams |
|---|
| style="width:25%;"| {{fed-big|BEL}}
!style="width:25%;"| {{fed-big|CZE}} !style="width:25%;"| {{fed-big|FRA}} !style="width:25%;"| {{fed-big|GER}} |
| {{fed-big|NED}}
! {{fed-big|ESP}} ! {{fed-big|SUI}} ! {{fed-big|USA}} |
Draw
{{8TeamBracket-info
| RD1-date=18–19 April
| RD2-date=25–26 July
| RD3-date=19–20 September
|teamwidth=16
| RD1T1-loc=Ghent, Belgium (Indoor hard)
| RD1-seed1=1 | RD1-team1={{fed|FRA}} | RD1-score1=3
| RD1-seed2= | RD1-team2={{fed|BEL}} | RD1-score2=2
| RD1T2-loc=Brno, Czech Republic (Indoor carpet)
| RD1-seed3= | RD1-team3={{fed|SUI}} | RD1-score3=4
| RD1-seed4=4 | RD1-team4={{fed|CZE}} | RD1-score4=1
| RD1T3-loc=Saarbrücken, Germany (Indoor carpet)
| RD1-seed5=3 | RD1-team5={{fed|ESP}} | RD1-score5=3
| RD1-seed6= | RD1-team6={{fed|GER}} | RD1-score6=2
| RD1T4-loc={{nowrap|Kiawah Island, SC, USA (Outdoor clay)}}
| RD1-seed7= | RD1-team7={{fed|USA}} | RD1-score7=5
| RD1-seed8=2 | RD1-team8={{fed|NED}} | RD1-score8=0
| RD2T1-loc={{nowrap|Sion, Switzerland (Outdoor clay)}}
| RD2-seed1=1 | RD2-team1={{fed|FRA}} | RD2-score1=0
| RD2-seed2= | RD2-team2={{fed|SUI}} | RD2-score2=5
| RD2T2-loc=Madrid, Spain (Outdoor clay)
| RD2-seed3=3 | RD2-team3={{fed|ESP}} | RD2-score3=3
| RD2-seed4= | RD2-team4={{fed|USA}} | RD2-score4=2
| RD3T1-loc={{nowrap|Geneva, Switzerland (Indoor hard)}}
| RD3-seed1= | RD3-team1={{fed|SUI}} | RD3-score1=2
| RD3-seed2=3 | RD3-team2={{fed|ESP}} | RD3-score2=3
}}
First round
=France vs. Belgium=
{{FedCupbox
|team1=France
|team2=Belgium
|venue=Expo Centre, Ghent, Belgium
|date=18–19 April 1998
|surface=Greenset hard (indoors)
|score1=3
|score2=2
|R1={{ TennisMatch3 |T1P1=Sandrine Testud |6 |6 | |T2P1=Sabine Appelmans |3 |2 | }}
|R2={{ TennisMatch3 |T1P1=Sarah Pitkowski |6 |4 |2 |T2P1=Dominique Van Roost |4 |6 |6 }}
|R3={{ TennisMatch3 |T1P1=Sandrine Testud |5 |6.065 | |T2P1=Dominique Van Roost |7 |7 | }}
|R4={{ TennisMatch3 |T1P1=Sarah Pitkowski |4 |6 |6 |T2P1=Sabine Appelmans |6 |3 |1 }}
|R5={{ TennisMatch3 |T1P1=Alexandra Fusai |T1P2=Nathalie Tauziat |6 |6 | |T2P1=Els Callens |T2P2=Laurence Courtois |4 |0 | }}
}}
=Switzerland vs. Czech Republic=
{{FedCupbox
|team1=Switzerland
|team2=Czech Republic
|venue=Rondo Hall, Brno, Czech Republic
|date=18–19 April 1998
|surface=Supreme carpet (indoors)
|score1=4
|score2=1
|R1={{ TennisMatch3 |T1P1=Patty Schnyder |6 |2 |3 |T2P1=Jana Novotná |3 |6 |6 }}
|R2={{ TennisMatch3 |T1P1=Martina Hingis |6 |6 | |T2P1=Adriana Gerši |2 |1 | }}
|R3={{ TennisMatch3 |T1P1=Martina Hingis |4 |6 |6 |T2P1=Jana Novotná |6 |3 |2 }}
|R4={{ TennisMatch3 |T1P1=Patty Schnyder |6 |6 | |T2P1=Adriana Gerši |3 |3 | }}
|R5={{ TennisMatch3 |T1P1=Martina Hingis |T1P2=Patty Schnyder |6 |6 | |T2P1=Denisa Chládková |T2P2=Ludmila Richterová |0 |1 | }}
}}
=Spain vs. Germany=
{{FedCupbox
|team1=Spain
|team2=Germany
|venue=Saarland Hall, Saarbrücken, Germany
|date=18–19 April 1998
|surface=Supreme carpet (indoors)
|score1=3
|score2=2
|R1={{ TennisMatch3 |T1P1=Magüi Serna |6 |6.025 |6 |T2P1=Andrea Glass |3 |7 |3 }}
|R2={{ TennisMatch3 |T1P1=Conchita Martínez |1 |6 |5 |T2P1=Jana Kandarr |6 |1 |7 }}
|R3={{ TennisMatch3 |T1P1=Conchita Martínez |6 |3 |2 |T2P1=Andrea Glass |3 |6 |6 }}
|R4={{ TennisMatch3 |T1P1=Magüi Serna |6 |6 | |T2P1=Jana Kandarr |3 |4 | }}
|R5={{ TennisMatch3 |T1P1=Conchita Martínez |T1P2=Magüi Serna |6 |7 | |T2P1=Andrea Glass |T2P2=Wiltrud Probst |4 |6.045 | }}
}}
=United States vs. Netherlands=
{{FedCupbox
|team1=United States
|team2=Netherlands
|venue=East Beach T.C., Kiawah Island, SC, United States
|date=18–19 April 1998
|surface=Har-Tru clay (outdoors)
|score1=5
|score2=0
|R1={{ TennisMatch3 |T1P1=Lindsay Davenport |6 |6 | |T2P1=Amanda Hopmans |4 |1 | }}
|R2={{ TennisMatch3 |T1P1=Monica Seles |6 |6 | |T2P1=Miriam Oremans |1 |2 | }}
|R3={{ TennisMatch3 |T1P1=Lindsay Davenport |6 |6 | |T2P1=Miriam Oremans |1 |2 | }}
|R4={{ TennisMatch3 |T1P1=Monica Seles |6 |6 | |T2P1=Amanda Hopmans |1 |2 | }}
|R5={{ TennisMatch3 |T1P1=Mary Joe Fernández |T1P2=Lisa Raymond |6 | | |T2P1=Manon Bollegraf |T2P2=Caroline Vis |1 | | re2=2}}
}}
Semifinals
=France vs. Switzerland=
{{FedCupbox
|team1=France
|team2=Switzerland
|venue=Tourbillon Stadium, Sion, Switzerland
|date=25–26 July 1998
|surface=Red clay (outdoors)
|score1=0
|score2=5
|R1={{ TennisMatch3 |T1P1=Julie Halard-Decugis |5 |1 | |T2P1=Martina Hingis |7 |6 | }}
|R2={{ TennisMatch3 |T1P1=Amélie Mauresmo |5 |6 |3 |T2P1=Patty Schnyder |7 |2 |6 }}
|R3={{ TennisMatch3 |T1P1=Amélie Mauresmo |7 |4 |2 |T2P1=Martina Hingis |6.055 |6 |6 }}
|R4={{ TennisMatch3 |T1P1=Julie Halard-Decugis |3 |2 | |T2P1=Patty Schnyder |6 |6 | }}
|R5={{ TennisMatch3 |T1P1=Alexandra Fusai |T1P2=Nathalie Tauziat |6 |3 |3 |T2P1=Emmanuelle Gagliardi |T2P2=Patty Schnyder |2 |6 |6 }}
}}
=Spain vs. United States=
{{FedCupbox
|team1=Spain
|team2=United States
|venue=Campo Villa T.C., Madrid, Spain
|date=25–26 July 1998
|surface=Red clay (outdoors)
|score1=3
|score2=2
|R1={{ TennisMatch3 |T1P1=Arantxa Sánchez Vicario |6.035 |6 |6 |T2P1=Lisa Raymond |7 |3 |0 }}
|R2={{ TennisMatch3 |T1P1=Conchita Martínez |3 |6 |1 |T2P1=Monica Seles |6 |3 |6 }}
|R3={{ TennisMatch3 |T1P1=Arantxa Sánchez Vicario |4 |0 | |T2P1=Monica Seles |6 |6 | }}
|R4={{ TennisMatch3 |T1P1=Conchita Martínez |7 |6 | |T2P1=Lisa Raymond |6.005 |4 | }}
|R5={{ TennisMatch3 |T1P1=Conchita Martínez |T1P2=Arantxa Sánchez Vicario |6 |6.045 |11 |T2P1=Mary Joe Fernández |T2P2=Lisa Raymond |4 |7 |9 }}
}}
Final
=Switzerland vs. Spain=
{{FedCupbox
|team1=Switzerland
|team2=Spain
|venue=Palexpo Hall, Geneva, Switzerland
|date=19–20 September 1998
|surface=Greenset hard (indoors)
|score1=2
|score2=3
|R1={{ TennisMatch3 |T1P1=Patty Schnyder |2 |6 |2 |T2P1=Arantxa Sánchez Vicario |6 |3 |6 }}
|R2={{ TennisMatch3 |T1P1=Martina Hingis |6 |6 | |T2P1=Conchita Martínez |4 |4 | }}
|R3={{ TennisMatch3 |T1P1=Martina Hingis |7 |6 | |T2P1=Arantxa Sánchez Vicario |6.045 |3 | }}
|R4={{ TennisMatch3 |T1P1=Patty Schnyder |3 |6 |7 |T2P1=Conchita Martínez |6 |2 |9 }}
|R5={{ TennisMatch3 |T1P1=Martina Hingis |T1P2=Patty Schnyder |0 |2 | |T2P1=Conchita Martínez |T2P2=Arantxa Sánchez Vicario |6 |6 | }}
}}
{{winners-other|1998 Fed Cup Champions|Spain|Spain|Fifth}}
References
{{reflist}}