WANGARATTA has a new world champion in tennis ace Michelle Hill, who played an integral part in helping the Australian team win the gold medal at the Masters Tennis World Championships in the United States last week. The tournament was held in brutal conditions in Florida, which saw an extraordinarily high number of players succumb to the fierce heat and high humidity. Hill and her team progressed smoothly through the opening rounds of the competition before defeating Argentina in the quarter finals and France in the semi final. Their opponents in the final were host nation America, who were also the number one seeds and reigning cup holders. The match play format consisted of two singles matches and one doubles match. Hill had the challenge of playing the opening singles match against the current world number one ranked player, Susan Wright. The first set started in stifling heat and high humidity and went game for game with a tie-breaker required to decide the winner. Hill trailed 2-5 in the first to seven tie-breaker, but a lucky net cord and several big forehands got her over the line, 8-6. A lapse in concentration proved costly in the second set, with Hill losing it 2-6. The third set saw Hill and her opponent share breaks of serve until the Aussie led 5-4. A match point lost in that game would see another tie breaker required to determine the winner. By this time, Hill was on the brink of physical exhaustion and could barely move, having called on the help of her team-mates and medics several times at the change of ends, who covered her head to toe with ice towels. It was stand and deliver time and Hill unleashed a barrage of unreturnable forehands to win the tie-breaker, 7-2. After an epic battle that lasted over three hours Hill had prevailed 7-6, 2-6, 7-6 and in doing so had put her team on the road to victory. It was grit, determination and a good measure of skill that helped Hill secure the vital win, before seeking medical attention for heat-related issues. In the second singles match, Australian Ros Balodis led her American opponent Ros Nideffer (an ex-WTA circuit player) 6-4, 3-1 before also struggling massively in the oppressive conditions and eventually losing her match, 6-4, 4-6, 0-6. Just 40 minutes later, Balodis and her partner Leanne Swaysland went out on court to bring home gold for Australia winning the deciding doubles against Wright and Nideffer 6-4 6-3. Fortunately, Hill returned from the medical centre in time to watch the deciding doubles rubber and then take her place on the podium. Hill was the only Australian player who went through the whole week undefeated and described her finals win as her best ever. The next day Hill was required to play her first-round match in both singles and mixed in the individual competition. This proved to be too much as her body started to shut down again and she was transported by ambulance and admitted to hospital, where she has made a slow but full recovery. "It has always been a goal of mine to win a gold medal at the World Championships and I am so happy that I have finally realised that goal, especially in such trying circumstances," Hill said. "There is no way I could have achieved this without my wonderful support team. “I would like to thank Michael Rutlege who is not only my GP but also my regular hitting partner, my sister Maryann who always provides help when I need it and my husband Peter for everything he does that enables me to play tennis in both Australia and overseas. “I am also very thankful for the interest and support that I have received from my friends and from so many other people in Wangaratta, especially from the Galen College community."
