Dutch Men Defeat U.S. Men; Australian Women Defeat Dutch Women in Invacare World Team Cup Finals.

ELYRIA, Ohio--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 3, 1999--

World class wheelchair tennis came to an exciting finish this weekend at the Invacare World Team Cup in Flushing Meadows, New York at the USTA National Tennis Center.

The Dutch men's team, led by Ricky Molier, defeated the United States men's team, led by Stephen Welch. Both athletes are sponsored by Invacare Corporation.

Molier, the number two ranked player in the ITF World Wheelchair Tennis Rankings, outlasted and outplayed third-ranked Welch in the decisive match as the Netherlands upset the number one seeded U.S. team, 2-0.

The United States has won the World Team Cup a record nine times since the event began in 1985, with the U.S. men having never lost a World Team Cup match on American soil -- until this year -- and winning the first seven titles from 1985-91. This was the first time since 1991 the United States hosted the tournament and the first time that it was played at the USTA National Tennis Center, home of the U.S. Open. The Netherlands reached the men's final for only the second time in the history of the event. (They lost to Germany last year in Barcelona, Spain.)

"To beat Stephen is always a big feat since he's one of the best athletes in the world," said Molier, who now trails the head-to-head series against Welch 12-15. "To do it in the World Team Cup final and in the United States is a great feeling. I had to play my best to win. It was so hot, but I've played in hotter weather." It reached 105 degrees during the 1996 Paralympics in Atlanta, in which Molier defeated Welch in the gold medal match.

Temperatures exceeded 100 degrees on the court during Molier's and Welch's match. The players were given a 15-minute break before the start of the third set. Molier closed out the match 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 in two hours, 20 minutes.

Eric Stuurman defeated Michael Foulks of La Jolla, CA, in the opening match of the finals 7-6, 9-7, 6-4.

In women's championship play, the Australian women won a third-set tie-breaker in the decisive doubles match against the Netherlands to capture the women's championship. The Dutch women have historically dominated this event, winning 12 of the 13 titles since the women's championship was added in 1986. They were favored again this year, seeded number one, and boasting four of the top five women in the ITF World Wheelchair Rankings.

The women's final featured the top two women in the ITF World Wheelchair Rankings against each other in Dutchwoman Ester Vergeer and Aussie Daniela Di Toro. Di Toro started off strong, defeating the powerful Vergeer in singles, 6-4, 1-6, 7-5, to force the finals into the decisive doubles match. Sharon Walravan defeated Australia's Branka Pupovac in the first match of the championship in straight sets. Di Toro and Pupovac won the doubles match over Vergeer and Maaike Smit, 6-2, 4-6, 7-6, 7-5.

Australia had never reached the finals of the women's World Team Cup prior to this year. Their best finish was third place on four occasions, most recently, in 1995, the last year Di Toro, who is sponsored by Invacare Corporation, played for Australia.

In the quad competition, the Israeli team captured its first international wheelchair competition. Israel upset the United States in the final, 2-1. The U.S. team was the defending champions. The quad tournament was added to the event last year.

The Invacare World Team Cup is the official wheelchair tennis team event of the International Tennis Federation, and is the wheelchair tennis equivalent of the Davis Cup and Federation Cup. Next year's event, which Invacare will again sponsor, will be held in Paris, France. The event began in 1985 in Irvine, CA, and is the result of increased participation in the U.S. Open Wheelchair Tennis championships. It started as a fun event that promoted international camaraderie and served as a warm-up to the U.S. Open Wheelchair Championships. Six countries participated in the first event. The following year, women joined the competition. Since 1985, the event has grown to circle the globe. In this year's Invacare World Team Cup, 32 men's teams and 16 women's teams from 32 different countries around the world participated.

Invacare Corporation (NYSE:IVC) is the world's leading manufacturer and distributor of health care products to the non-acute care market through more than 25,000 providers. The company sponsors more than 75 individual wheelchair athletes and teams who compete in the Invacare(R) Top End(R) line of sports and recreation products. The company's mission is to design, manufacture and deliver the best value in medical products which promote recovery and active lifestyles for people requiring home and other non-acute health care. The company, which had 1998 revenues of $798 million, goes to market in the following channels of distribution: home care, mass retail and institutional. Within these channels of distribution, Invacare participates in the following product segments: Home Care, which includes rehab products, respiratory products, manual wheelchairs, home care beds, therapeutic support surfaces and personal care products marketed by Invacare's Home Care Group; Soft Goods and Supplies, which includes ostomy, incontinence, wound care and diabetic supplies marketed by Suburban Ostomy; and Institutional, which includes nursing home beds, patient lifts and slings, nursing home furniture and bathing systems marketed by Invacare Continuing Care Group. The company's headquarters are in Elyria, Ohio, and the firm has manufacturing plants in the United States, Australia, Canada, Germany, France, Mexico, New Zealand, Portugal, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.