WTA Finals Recap: Martina Hingis is defeated by Steffi Graf in five sets in…
Graf said of the 16-year-old potential No. 1 player, “As fast as she’s going, she’s definitely the one to look out for, no question,” following her 6-3, 4-6, 6-0, 4-6, 6-0 victory.
Next week, in Fort Worth, Texas, will see the 2022 edition of the season-ending championships. This week, we’ll be taking a look back at five of the most memorable events in the history of the WTA Finals. The 1990 final saw Monica Seles defeat Gabriela Sabatini in five sets, and today’s matchup features another epic match between two all-time greats:
No doubt about it, the final two players standing at the 1996 WTA Finals had more experience than the other. While 16-year-old Martina Hingis had only entered into the Top 10 six weeks prior and had won her first two WTA victories in Stuttgart and Oakland, Steffi Graf, who was co-ranked No. 1 with Monica Seles at the time, had 101 career WTA titles to her name, including 21 majors.
Although Hingis had previously faced Graf on a few occasions, including a victory over her in Rome earlier that year, this match went the full distance as both players struggled with injuries—Graf with a knee condition, Hingis with cramps—before the German eventually won 6-3, 4-6, 6-0, 4-6, 6-0.
Graf won the WTA Finals and the final three majors of the year—Wimbledon, the US Open, and Roland Garros—for the second year in a row.
Graf remarked following the match, “I mean, in one sense I’m glad it’s over, and in another way I think I topped off last year’s in terms of what I’ve done in tennis this year.” “It was physically lot harder to complete, even though my outcomes were about the same as they were the year before. And I truly exceeded myself once again from that vantage point. Hingis was ahead in the fourth set when she began to cramp; although she ended the set, Graf outplayed her in the fifth game.
