"I wasn't afraid of Steffi Graf as before... I'd like a Lamborghini" - When Monica Seles won $100,000 prize after ending German's 66-match win streak
Monica Seles broke Steffi Graf's streak of 66 successive wins, which remains the second-longest in WTA history. The then-teenager won a prize money of $100,000 after triumphing at the Lufthansa Cup German Open in Berlin. (now known as the ecotrans Ladies Open).
The year was 1990 and Graf entered the tournament on a 62-match winning streak that included three successive Grand Slam titles. The German impressed in front of her home crowd as she reached the final while dropping only 13 games. She thus increased her winning streak to 66.
Monica Seles was the second seed at the tournament and like Steffi Graf, she did not drop a single set en route to the final. The then-16-year-old beat the German 6-4, 6-3 in the title clash to break her 66-match winning streak and clinch the tournament. It was also Seles' very first win over Graf.
After the match, the German said that she was far from playing her best tennis,
"I was so far away from playing my best tennis, it was difficult to get into it," Graf said, as quoted by the Washington Post. "If I play like that, I can't expect to win."
Speaking of her first win against the then-World No. 1, Seles said.
"This is just one match. I'm just happy that I'm playing well."
Monica Seles won a prize money of $200,000 after winning the title in Berlin and she said that she would buy a car after the French Open. The then-teenager also said that while she would settle for a red BMW despite liking Lamborghini.
"Maybe after the French Open I'll buy a car. I'm the only one of the top players who doesn't have a car. My taste is a little exotic - I'd like a Lamborghini, but I'll settle for a red BMW," Seles said.
Seles also said that she was not as afraid of Graf as she once used to be.
"I'm much more experienced now and I wasn't afraid of Graf as much as before," the then-16-year-old said.
Monica Seles beat Steffi Graf in the French Open final a few weeks after breaking her 66-match winning streak
The 1990 French Open took place just weeks after the Graf-Seles final in Hamburg and the two were the top two seeds at the tournament. Steffi Graf dropped just 22 games en route to the final, beating three-seeded players Nathalie Tauziat, Conchita Martinez, and Jana Novotna.
Monica Seles, on the other hand, had to overcome a tough challenge from Manuela Maleeva in the quarterfinals before winning 3-6, 6-1, 7-5. She then beat fellow teenager Jennifer Capriati 6-2, 6-2 to reach her maiden Grand Slam final.
Seles handed Graf her second successive defeat in a French Open by beating her 7-6(6), 6-4. The then-Yugoslav thus won her maiden Major singles title.
Steffi Graf, however, did end up leading the head-to-head between the two, winning ten out of their 15 encounters. Their last meeting came in the semifinals of the 1999 French Open, with the German winning 6-7(2), 6-3, 6-4 to reach the final, where she beat Martina Hingis to win her 22nd and last Grand Slam singles title.