Top 5 women's singles comebacks at the French Open ft. Steffi Graf and Jennifer Capriati
We are only a few days away before the commencement of the 2023 French Open and several top tennis stars will be eager to compete and try to win the claycourt Major.
Iga Swiatek won last year's edition of the tournament by beating Coco Gauff in the final. The Pole will be eager to defend her title and has a strong chance of doing so. However, the likes of Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina will both have their eyes set on the trophy.
Jessica Pegula, Ons Jabeur and Barbora Krejcikova are also among the players who are capable of challenging for the French Open.
Over the years, several players have produced some scintillating moments at the claycourt Major, with many showing their class by recovering from tense situations and going on to win matches at the Stade Roland Garros.
On that note, let us take a look at the top 5 women's singles comebacks at the French Open.
#5 Steffi Graf vs Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, 1996 French Open final
Steffi Graf and Arantxa Sanchez Vicario locked horns in three French Open finals, the last of which came in 1996.
Graf was the defending champion and did not drop a set en route to the final. Sanchez Vicario was seeded fourth and booked her place in the title clash with a 6-3, 7-5 win over Jana Novotna in the semifinals.
Graf started the match strongly and won the opening set 6-3 before the Spaniard showed resilience in the second and took it 7-6(4). Sanchez Vicario had the momentum in the final set and raced to a 4-2 lead.
Graf was a point from trailing 5-2, but she fought back and edged out her opponent 10-8 to win her 19th Grand Slam singles title, thus surpassing Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova for the most number of Majors won during the Open Era.
#4 Jennifer Capriati vs Kim Clijsters, 2001 French Open final
Jennifer Capriati won the Australian Open in 2001 and reached the final of the French Open with wins over Serena Williams and Martina Hingis in the quarterfinals and semifinals, respectively.
Facing the-then fourth-seeded American in the title clash was 12th-seeded teenager Kim Clijsters. The Belgian who had just turned 18, had the best possible start to the match as she won the opening set 6-1. However, Capriati bounced back in the second set and won it 6-4 to force the match into a decider.
The final set was a tedious affair, with Clijsters being two points away from a win on four occasions. However, Capriati dug deep and managed to win 12-10 to clinch her maiden Grand Slam singles title.
#3 Steffi Graf vs Martina Hingis, 1999 French Open final
The 1999 French Open final is among the best-remembered matches in women's tennis history. The-then World No.1 Martina Hingis reached the final without dropping a single set and was aiming to win the one Grand Slam that eluded her.
Standing between the Swiss and the French Open trophy was Steffi Graf, who was seeded sixth. Hingis started the match well and took the opening set 6-4 and made an early break to lead 2-0 in the second.
At this point, the Swiss argued with the umpire over a line call and went to the other side of the net in an attempt to prove her point. She refused to play on and later asked for the tournament referee.
The crowd by this time, became very hostile towards Hingis and booed her incessantly. Graf bounced back to win 4-6, 7-5, 6-2 and claim her 22nd Grand Slam singles title.
#2 Mary Joe Fernandez vs Gabriela Sabatini, 1993 French Open quarterfinals
Mary Joe Fernandez and Gabriela Sabatini locked horns in the quarterfinals of the 1993 French Open.
Sabatini was seeded third at the tournament and was yet to drop a set. The Argentine won the opening set 6-1 and led 5-1 in the second before serving for the match.
However, Fernandez produced a stunning turnaround as she won the set 7-6(4) and took the third 10-8 to book her place in the semifinals. She went on to reach the final before losing 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 to Steffi Graf.
#1 Chanda Rubin vs Jana Novotna, 1995 French Open 3rd round
Chanda Rubin produced one of the finest comebacks in tennis history during her third-round match against Jana Novotna at the 1995 French Open.
Rubin, who was only 19 years old at the time, reached the third round following straight-set wins over Elena Makarova and Meike Babel. Here, she faced fifth seed Novotna and won the opening set 7-6(8).
However, the Czech fought back and won the second 6-4 to force the match into a decider. Novotna was dominating the third set and had three match points at 40-0 while being 5-0 up.
Rubin saved each of those match points and did so another six times to script a memorable comeback and win 7-6(8), 4-6, 8-6. The American went on to reach the quarterfinals of the tournament before losing to top seed and eventual runner-up Arantxa Sanchez Vicario.