Tennis tournament
The 1998 Real Tennis World Championship was the 62nd edition of the real tennis World Championship. It was held at the Royal Melbourne Tennis Club in Victoria, Australia. Incumbent champion Robert Fahey defended his title against amateur Julian Snow seven sets to four. It was Fahey's fourth victory at the World Championship, placing him equal third for the number of World Championship victories behind Pierre Etchebaster and Cecil Fairs. Snow was the first amateur to challenge for the title since Howard Angus in 1981. He would also be the last British player to challenge the title until John Lumley in 2023, and the last amateur to challenge until the present day.
Qualification.
As the defending champion, Robert Fahey automatically qualified to the World Championship Challenge. Fahey would make his fourth appearance at the World Championship, having held the title continuously since 1994.
To qualify to challenge for the World Championship, players needed to win one of the four National Opens in the 1996 and 1997 seasons. Fahey himself won the Australian Open in 1996 and 1997. Three players qualified to challenge Fahey:
Snow was an amateur player who had held the British Amateur championship continuously since 1987. Snow had challenged for the title on two previous occasions, first in 1993 where he lost in the Eliminator to Lachlan Deuchar at the Royal Melbourne Tennis Club. He also challenged for the 1995 championship, and also lost in the first round Eliminator to Chris Bray at the Royal Tennis Court. Snow had won seven Open titles at the time of the challenge, completing a career grand slam at the 1996 French Open.
Gooding challenged for the World Championship for the second time. Gooding defended his French Open in 1996 and also won the 1996 British Open. He had previously challenged for the 1996 championship, beating Frank Filippelli in the First Round Eliminator, but losing to Wayne Davies in the Final Eliminator, both matches at the Royal Melbourne Tennis Club.
Bray also challenged for the World Championship for the second time. In his previous appearance in 1995, he defeated Julian Snow and Lachlan Deuchar in the first and second round Eliminators respectively, but lost to Wayne Davies in the final round. He won the 1997 French Open and 1997 British Open to qualify for the Eliminators.
1998 would be the first World Championship since 1981 that Wayne Davies was not eligible to challenge.
Venue.
As the defending champion Robert Fahey had the right to choose the time and place for the Challenge.
Fahey chose to again defend his championship at the Royal Melbourne Tennis Club, the same venue as the 1996 challenge. He had previously defended his title at the Hobart Real Tennis Club. It would be the fourth consecutive, and fourth total, Challenge held in Australia, and the second in Melbourne. The Final Eliminator would also be held in Melbourne.
Eliminators.
The three qualified players played a series of Eliminators for the right to challenge Fahey across December 1997 and February 1998
The first eliminator was held between Snow and Bray at Lord's Cricket Ground in London. The match was held as a best-of-9 set match over two days, unlike previous eliminators which were a best-of-13 set format. Snow lead 3–1 after the first day, winning the first two sets comfortably as Bray was making unforced errors as he attempted to match Snow's floor game. Bray began to play his shots in the third set, winning it 6/0, but Snow lifted to take the final set of the day. On the second day, Bray made fewer errors to take the fifth set of the match. Bray double-faulted at a crucial moment in the sixth set to give Snow a lead to capitalise on. Bray had a set point at 5-all in the seventh set, but Snow closed out the set and the match.
Snow played Gooding in the Final Eliminator in late February at the Royal Melbourne Tennis Club as a best-of-13 match. Both players started tentatively in the first set, as Gooding squandered an early lead to allow Snow to take the set. Snow then bageled Gooding in the second set in just 18 minutes. Gooding responded by aiming more at the targets, to run through the remaining sets and end the day tied 2–2. The second day went much better for Snow, leading through all four sets comfortably as Gooding tired. Snow won all four sets of the day, including another bagel in the eighth set. On the third day, Snow won the ninth set to win the match 7–2 and qualify for the Challenge.
Match.
The format for the Challenge was best of thirteen sets played over three days. Four sets were scheduled for the first two days, and up to five sets on the final day.
Day 1.
Fahey started the match quickly, opening a three-game lead in the first set. While Snow recovered to level the set, Fahey closed strongly, serving exclusively railroads throughout the set. The second set took a gruelling 45 minutes, as Snow took a decisive lead late in the set with variation to his forcing. Fahey had a strong start in the third set, but showed signs of tiring as his serving became looser and Snow began punishing it with cut-volleys. Nonetheless, he was able to hold onto his early lead and take the set 6/2. In the final set of the day, Fahey changed tempo, switching from a floor game to a power game winning the set in just 15 minutes to take a 3–1 lead into the second day.
Day 2.
Snow started the second day well, outplaying Fahey on the floor and neutralising Fahey's railroad by boasting his returns to start many points on the attack. He won the fifth set comfortably, followed by the sixth, where Snow used the angles of the court to his advantage, and defending the openings athletically. With the match tied at 3-all, the seventh set was the longest of the match, taking exactly one hour. Fahey reached his first set point at 5/4, as Snow won two great points and Fahey double-faulted to bring the set to 5-all. Snow missed the dedan in the final game, allowing Fahey to hit the winning gallery to bring up another set point. This time, Fahey was able to close it out and take a narrow lead in the match. Fahey then won five games in a row to win the final set of the day, leading the match 5–3 at the end of the second day.
Day 3.
Snow built a narrow lead in the ninth set with his volleys from the serve. However, Fahey clawed his way back into the set, levelling up the set at 4-all and thence a 5/4 lead with winning points into the winning gallery and the tambour. However, a poor service game allowed Snow to build a 40–0 lead. Fahey then deliberately double faulted to retain the serve at the start of the deciding game of the set. Fahey had a set point but could not convert, Snow narrowly winning the set 6/5. Fahey had the edge through the tenth set despite a period where his serve became looser. In the eleventh set, Snow steadily built a 4/0 lead, which later became 5/2. Fahey started serving underarm twists and slowed the pace of his railroad and played with heavy cut as he brought the set back to 5-all. Fahey had three championship points in the final game, winning with a backhand into the last gallery.
References.
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