Irina Spirlea defeated Amanda Coetzer 6-1 7-5 in the US Open round of 128 on hard. The upset overturned the form book — Amanda Coetzer came in leading the head-to-head 2–1, defending last year's quarter-final. Irina Spirlea narrowed the head-to-head to 2–2.
| Date | Tournament | Round | Surface | Winner | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998-03-30 | Hilton Head | F | clay | Amanda Coetzer | 6-3 6-4 |
| 1997-08-25 | US Open | R16 | hard | Irina Spirlea | 7-6 6-4 |
| 1997-01-28 | Tokyo | R16 | hard | Amanda Coetzer | 6-4 2-6 6-4 |
Averages over each player's completed matches in the selected window. ATP, WTA & Challenger.