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.
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