Step back in time: Olympics 1992 Women's doubles

USA, again... The doubles draw was much more worthy than the 1988 doubles draw. This time with a solid 32 draw and no first round byes, which meant that even the top seed teams had to go a distance to finally hold some metal in their hands.

Home crowd favorites Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario and Conchita Martinez were top seeds in 1992. Sanchez-Vicario was partnering different players that season but got together with Martinez for two tournaments, one in Barcelona (which they won) and for the French Open where they made it to the final, only falling to Gigi Fernandez and Natasha Zvereva. Expectations were high that they will go for gold for Spain in Spain.

The second seeds came from the States in terms of Mary Joe Fernandez and Gigi Fernandez. Though Mary Joe and Jennifer Capriati have partnered several times throughout that season, Gigi Fernandez was the highest ranked American to play doubles, so these two got together especially for the Olympics, having only played one event together before, a minor tournament in Milan in 1991 (which ended too early for them). As second seeds, they truly were favorites, but very few expected them to take away the gold, which was what they did.

The top seeds simultaneously moved into the second round with double bagles over their opponents. With Helena Sukova not participating, the Czechs weren't that highly favored as usually. The pairing of Jana Novotna and Andrea Strnadova was just a minor favorite. They fell in the quarters to the strong Aussie-pairing of Rachel McQuillan and Nicole Provis - guaranteeing just another medal for the australian team (similar to the 1988 doubles).
Russians Leila Meshki and Natasha Zvereva were seeded fourth and truly to be considered a favorite as Zvereva was one of the hottest doubles players that season. They stormed through the draw without dropping a set and got past Patricia Tarabini and Mercedes Paz, the seventh seed Argentines, in the quarters, securing a medal for their country.

Suprisingly all 8 seeded doubles made their ways into the quarters. 6th seeded South Africans Mariaan de Swardt and Elna Reinach were rock solid and didn't drop a set.
Tarabini/Paz had a more troublesome time with a hard worked first round win which was followed by an easy second round win.
Isabelle Demongeot and Nathalie Tauziat teamed up again for France like they did in 1988 and again reached the quarters (this time as 8th seeds), but fell short to the top seeds from Spain.

Though unseeded, the german pair of Steffi Graf and Anke Huber was truly to watch in the draw. They won their first round easily but had back luck in facing second seeds and eventual champions Fernandez/Fernandez in the second round. It was a blockbuster match which the Americans won closely 7:6 6:4.

All quarterfinals were straight set affairs with Fernandez/Fernandez brushing past the South Africans, Meshki/Zvereva moved past Tarabini/Paz, Novotna/Strnadova fell to the aussie-pairing and Demongeot/Tauziat didn't show enough against Martinez/Sanchez-Vicario.

Down there where the medals were on the line, competition should've been closer, but Martinez/Sanchez-Vicario weren't willing to make it a close affair, cutting short of McQuillan/Provis 6:1 6:2.

Fernandez/Fernandez had a tougher time again in playing Meshki/Zvereva. They won 6:4 7:5 to earn themselves a shot at gold.

As the final was set in Barcelona, the crowd was hugely supporting their home team. However, pressure must've been too high and their opponents in Fernandez/Fernandez have proved themselves as a team, getting past strong opponents in the draw. They held nerves in the opener, winning 7:5. The spanish pairing regrouped to win the second set 6:2 but the americans eventually gained control again in the third, winning 6:2 to finally win the gold medal. Just another gold for the States, the second in doubles after 1988.

Though being that successful at the Olympics, Fernandez/Fernandez only teamed up in Fed Cup for their country and only entered a regular WTA event as a doubles team in 1996, when the next Olympic Tennis event was on the line.