"This is the biggest tournament I've won, I can win the big ones now" - When a 17-year-old Serena Williams defeated Steffi Graf to win Indian Wells
Serena Williams and Steffi Graf's careers did not see much overlap, as the German retired from professional tennis the same year that Williams won her first WTA singles title (the 1999 Open Gaz de France).
The two met only twice on the tennis court, both in 1999. Having lost their first encounter in Sydney, the American faced the 22-time Grand Slam champion for a second time in the finals of the Indian Wells Open.
Then World No. 21, the 23-time Grand Slam champion was unseeded in the tournament. After pulling off a major upset in the second round by defeating second seed Lindsay Davenport, the former World No. 1 dismantled sixth seed Mary Pierce in the quarterfinals - both in straight sets. She then vanquished 12th seed Sandrine Testud, again in straight sets, to set up a final with Graf.
As the fifth seed, the German did not have too difficult a path to the final. Fourth seed Jana Novotna was the only seeded opponent she had to quell en route to the match-up against the 17-year-old prodigy.
Serena Williams began the clash very aggressively, dealing with Graf's sliced backhand better than most experienced players on the circuit at the time. Combining that with some solid serving, she went on to take the first set 6-3.
Graf, however, regrouped in the second set. She was helped in part by some uncharacteristic nerves from the American, as Williams began imploding with a barrage of unforced errors. Steffi Graf capitalized on the momentum and took the second set 6-3 to force the decider.
Serena Williams could not arrest the flow of her unforced errors any time soon, falling 2-4 down in the third set and it looked all but certain that her dream run was going to reach a bitter end. But cheered on by her countrymen in California, the former World No. 1 clawed her way back to break the German's serve and then held her own to reach the six-game mark first.
In 1999, Serena Williams defeated Steffi Graf to take home her first title in Indian Wells. 🏆
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The German needed to hold her serve one last time to force a tie-breaker, but the vigor and resilience of youth allowed the 23-time Grand Slam champion to keep up the pressure on the German.
Pushed beyond her reserves of physical strength, the 22-time Grand Slam champion's forehand faltered at the worst imaginable moment and Serena Williams took the match 6-3, 3-6, 7-5. It marked her first title at the WTA 1000 event (second singles title overall), a triumph she would repeat two years later in 2001.
Speaking at her press conference following the win, Serena Williams declared with confidence that the victory made one thing very clear to her: that she was capable of winning the "big" matches and, in particular, the Grand Slams.
"I always see myself in the top position. Right now, I'm just looking to play one match at a time," Williams said. "This is the biggest tournament I've ever won. I know that I can win the big ones now. I don't know how many matches I've won in a row, but it's enough to win a Slam. It's seven in a row to win a Slam. I'm prepared to do that."
The 23-time Grand Slam champion went on to do just that as she won the US Open the same year. Seeded seventh, the American defeated fourth seed Monica Seles (quarterfinals), defending champion Lindsay Davenport (semifinals) and top seed Martina Hingis (final) to win her first Major.
"Serena Williams was going for her shots, she took risks, she did that very well" - Steffi Graf
Speaking at her own press conference after the loss, Steffi Graf lavished praise on her conqueror. The two-time former winner at Indian Wells remarked that the 17-year-old showed no fear in going for her shots and was in awe at how Williams took calculated risks to gain the upper hand in the clash.
The German also noted with amazement how the American had improved her consistency in a very short period since their last meeting, hinting that Serena Williams was destined for greatness even back then.
"Yeah, [Serena Williams] was more consistent than she was in Sydney. She didn't make that many mistakes. She was really forcing the shots, being aggressive most of the time. But much more consistent," Graf said. "She served well. She was going, definitely, for the second serve. She was going for her shots. She took risks. She did that very well. She was just going more for the shots, trying to be more aggressive than I was.
7 Australian Open titles. 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2015, 2017.
Serena Williams
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18 years later, in 2017, Serena Williams won the Australian Open to finally outdo Steffi Graf's Open Era record of 22 Majors.