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We all have those moments. The
ones when we're watching a triple overtime unfold, or we're hitting
the last-second jumper ourselves - the ones that stay with us the
rest of our lives. They remind us of why we're passionate
about sports - why everything from the Tallahassee Little League
Championships to the Super Bowl can get us excited. Some
of us here at Outsports, and some of our readers, have put together
our lists of our Top Moments In Sports. We hope some of these
lists remind you of "where you were when..." and that they
inspire you to create your own list. Whether you have 3, 5,
10, or any number of favorite sports moments, e-mail
them to us and we'll post them here. Chris,
Los Angeles
Women's Tennis, anyone?
For me, the greatest moments in sports take place on the
tennis
court. And since I could probably list dozens of classic matches over
the last decade or two, I decided it was in my best interest to narrow my
focus to … WOMEN’S TENNIS.
Yes, long viewed as boring compared to the men’s
game, women’s tennis has truly come into its own the last few years. Keep
in mind, the classic matches are too numerous to list. I just chose a few
that stand out in my mind.
1. 1992 FRENCH OPEN FINAL
Monica Seles d. Steffi Graf, 6-2, 3-6, 10-8
For my money, just about the greatest match in the Open era. Some
2 hours
and 43 minutes of amazing shot-making on both players’ parts.
I’ll never forget (mostly because I have it on tape and watch it from time
to time) the sheer determination, the endless stamina, and the hearts of
each woman laid out on the court for the world to watch. It was truly
"edge of your seat" tennis from start to finish. But in the end, with a Graf
forehand uncharacteristically going into the net, it was an 18-year-old Monica
Seles who defended her crown for the third straight year. Makes me
want to be
a better player every time I see it.
2. 1999 FRENCH OPEN FINAL
Steffi Graf d. Martina Hingis, 4-6, 7-5, 6-2
The best thing about this match is that we all
kind of saw it coming,
but didn’t want to jinx it by saying it out loud. In the weeks prior,
Hingis had spouted off about how Graf was "past her prime" and "should
retire."
It seemed inevitable that the Champion of the moment should face the
Champion of the past in the final. Even after Hingis took the first set rather
easily, I remember thinking it wasn’t finished by a long shot. And of course,
after some questionable line calls (I still can’t believe Hingis came around
the net – naughty girl), some sneaky underhanded serving, and more booing
by fans than one cares to remember, it was all over. The former Champion had
indeed captured one last hoorah. *BONUS: Graf sending Hingis crying into
the shoulders of her Mother. (a.k.a. "Clown Hair").
3. 1989 U.S. OPEN QUARTERFINALS
Zina Garrison d. Chris Evert, score irrelevant.
When I think about the Open era of Women’s tennis, I think of it in
two parts: Evert and Post-Evert. When the U.S. Open rolled around in
’89, everyone knew that "Part One" was coming to an end.
After all, Chris Evert had announced weeks earlier that she was retiring after the tournament.
Although the match itself was not too exciting, it was the
emotional goodbye that followed that makes this match so memorable. Full of
class and not wanting to take anything away from her opponents’ victory, Evert
grabbed her racquets and walked off the court quickly. And with an
appreciative smile and a wave to the crowd, she was gone. "Part Two" had officially
begun in women’s tennis.
4. 1995 U.S. OPEN FINAL
Steffi Graf d. Monica Seles, 7-6, 0-6, 6-3
After a 2 ½ year absence from the game, Monica came storming back into
women’s tennis as though she had never left. In fact, she had only
returned to tournament play two weeks prior to the Open that year.
Fans everywhere wondered if the rivalry between the two could ever be the same. (I
know I did.) A heroic match from Seles and a gutsy match from Graf made for
some great tennis. And although I’m a Seles fan until my dying day, a part
of me was glad that Graf had won this particular match. I felt if she
hadn’t, it would have voided all the majors she had won in Seles’ absence. It
was good for the women’s game the way the match turned out. Besides, just by
stepping on to that court made Seles a winner in my mind.
5. 1991 WIMBLEDON QUARTERFINALS
Jennifer Capriati d. Martina Navratilova, 6-4, 7-5
At 15 years old, Jennifer Capriati was truly the prodigy of her time.
Although everyone knew she was going to be a player to watch, nobody
figured she would be the one to pull the upset of the tournament.
After a rain delay interrupted the match over night (with Capriati leading), one figured
that Capriati would have too much time to think about an upset, and
Navratilova would be able to pull herself together. However, no such thing would
happen. Capriati came back tougher than ever. It was the first time I
can remember seeing old tennis (Evert Era) meeting new tennis (Post-Evert
Era) and thinking it looked ugly. Capriati was hitting most of her shots
right at Navratilova, but the sheer pace of her shots practically knocked
Navratilova over.
Suddenly the air-balls that Martina was used to hitting with
Chrissie just didn’t cut it anymore – and she knew it. In fact, when her
nerves came into play things only got worse. The woman who had held the Singles
Champion Trophy nine times in her career double faulted the match away. Ouch.
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