Unseeded Golmard a surprise 1999 winner

Dubai: When there is a field that includes tennis superstars, Grand Slam champions or at the very least players who have contested a Grand Slam final, it is reasonable to assume that one of them will emerge at the end of the week as the winner.

But not in 1999, as Dubai produced the most unexpected of champions in unseeded Frenchman Jerome Golmard.

The event featured defending champion and top seed Alex Corretja, but he lost in the first round to the flamboyant but erratic Australian Andrew Ilie.

It included reigning French Open champion Carlos Moya, who did at least reach the semi-finals before losing to Golmard. Even 1997 French Open winner Gustavo Kuerten failed to get past the quarters, another victim of Ilie.

Another surprise was sprung when 1997 US Open runner-up Greg Rusedski lost in the second round to Francisco Clavet, and Boris Becker tried to make it third time lucky but this time he was beaten in the opening round by Jonas Bjorkman. Crowd favourite Tim Henman then beat Bjorkman but lost to Golmard in the quarter-finals.

Doubles winners

Thomas Muster fell in round one, but at least it was to Moya. When the dust had settled, Nicolas Kiefer was Golmard's opponent in the final, and the result was 6-4 6-2.

In keeping with the mood, the unseeded team of Wayne Black and Sandon Stolle won the doubles, beating another unseeded pair, David Adams and John-Laffnie de Jager 4-6, 6-1, 6-4.