Chris Evert vs Gabriela Sabatini 1989 Lipton Championships final

[@anakin.2956]

Win or lose, I just liked watching Sabatini play. She was beautiful!!!

[@anakin.2956]

@Jamie foamguitar Anna Kournikova was stunning! A pity her game wasn't, but I still watched her

[@antonboludo8886]

@Jamie foamguitar Chris Evert was also good-looking.

[@antonboludo8886]

@Ilya Kuryakin I have seen Graf, Sabatini and Evert play. For the first two, I was in the third row. It was the semi-finals of the Canadian Open. Graf won her match and Sabatini lost hers. Graf almost never missed a shot. It was impressive to watch.

[@arnoldamaral7406]

Sabatini still very beautiful. What do you mean was Sokka

[@anakin.2956]

@@arnoldamaral7406 true, but she's not playing now, is she!?

[@yashashreetapas9084]

What a terrific match. I remember this match but enjoyed a lot todat too . After Gabby and Steffi I stopped watching tennis. Chris Evert... such a beautifil and elegant player I ve ever seen ! Thanks for posting

[@CindyC71]

You're welcome, thank you for watching :)

[@canadasweetie]

I loved watching Sabatini. She was one of my favorites to watch. She may not have one a ton of grand slams but I just liked her, liked her style.

[@loril6437]

Saw chris play in Chicago 1980 January 21. My moms birthday i remember because i was in a serious accident, 3 wks in hospital. Will never forget that match.

[@tomogden9503]

I remember this match very well. The conditions were so tough; the wind was really gusting. Gaby played a terrific match. Chris did so well to pull out that second set. Thanks for posting!

[@CindyC71]

+Tom Ogden Hah yep it was windy, a tennis players worst enemy! And you're welcome Tom :)

[@joeyconvery2055]

Chris is amazing...running down those tough topspin shots from Sabatini. Let's not forget Chris is 16 years older than Gaby.

[@baldomerocasillo5866]

I loved the agressive yet classic tennis of Evert. Sabatini was something else... her unique style! she danced tennis... beautiful match

[@BTURNER1961]

This is one of those matches, reminding me of a Chris quote. After the 1984 route by Martina at RG ( Martina killed her), she was asked by Collins if she was 'embarrassed' that day. She said "no, not embarrassed, humiliated at times in the match, but I never feel embarrassed if I try my hardest. " All through 1989, she tried her hardest as she always did, and made some remarkable come-backs, but rarely got the last points. Chris Evert never 'tanked', never gave up, so she leaves her carreer never feeling embarrassed by what happened on a court. Not a lot of players can say that over 19 years.

[@andyroo9381]

When I was young and first started to learn tennis, I modeled my game after Jimmy Connors - ball angling the corners and low to the net cord and Chris Evert's amazing two-handed backhand. She could hit a winner off that side from any area of the court. My favorite shot of her was her backhand cross-court passing shot. Connors and Evert were my icons. Now My Champion is Rafael Nadal.

[@BTURNER1961]

@@andyroo9381 IMO, That backhand pass either direction, was the single best passing shot in the women's game from 1973-1988. It was incredibly consistent, well disguised, and she could belt it flat or take the pace off and hit a soft, acutely angled topspin crosscourt. . If you tried to cover that crosscourt, she could drill it down that line or lob with equal facility.

[@evenkat6780]

What high quality of play and see the depth of shots, extraordinary both. Chris at her age was so tough and remarkable.. superb both of them

[@BTURNER1961]

Chris said a couple of interesting things about playing Gabby. She said it was a very physical match because all the work on the ball drove her further back, then wide. 'Hitting on the rise ' was actually pretty low percentage in the 70's and early 80's when Evert learned and mastered her tennis. The rackets she was raised using had much smaller sweet spots and even the slightest mishit drew error so it paid to wait for the ball to drop to your comfort level to reduce a chance at a mishit. She was more comfortable about 4 feet behind the baseline than any closer and had to relearn her court position in the mid eighties . She said it was very difficult to prepare for a Gabby match because 'nobody played like Gabriella' She could not find a practice partner ( male or female) who could hit with all that spin consistently. That is why Chris lost a lot of first sets even to a young Sabatini. It took her the first four games just to get used to hitting the Sabatini ball. The normal pattern was for Chris to begin dominating rallies and for Sabatini to get exhausted before Chris did. But by mid 1988, Sabatini was stronger and had more stamina while Evert began to lose some.

[@tomschmitz5745]

well said. in this match, gaby was so so excited when she won, because i believe it was the very first time she had beaten chris in a 3 set match, so it was a great uplifting result that she didn't wilt in the end... of course she was playing a 34 year old evert in her retirement year, and this would be the last match they ever played against each other as the head to head ended 6-3 in evert's favor...

[@cavaleermountaineer3839]

Great points. I was thinking as I watched how interesting it would've been to see Evert with topspin strokes, like Sabatini. I think she would've won a lot more because it opens up so many more angles and is higher percentage overall. Definitely a "new school" vs "old school" match.

[@pjesf]

All very good points. Chris did a fantastic job re-tooling her game to get back to a point where she could compete with Martina but there are a couple of things I would like to have seen now that I look back on these matches from her final years. First would be more body rotation/weight transfer in her serve. I can't see a deep kneebend jumping serve but just that little extra motion could have prevented some key service breaks. Second would be her reaction to moon balls. With the larger racquet she became a lot more adept at playing closer to the baseline so she was taking balls earlier but against the moonball she stuck with dropping back and taking the ball on the dip of the arc after the bounce. The Maleeva sisters, Sanchez-Vicario, and Seles all used the moonball because they knew she had come to hate it. Had she been able to attack it more then possibly she could have won more points against it (more and easier). I'm a lifelong Chrissie fan though - those gorgeous strokes

[@BTURNER1961]

@@pjesf I think she needed to change her return of second serve to reflect the same more aggressive approach to the game that the younger players employed. Steffi, Gabby and Monica etc were taking full advantage of second serves by running around and whaling on them, and Martina and Hana were chipping and charging. But Chris was still content to return that second ball deep down the middle. Heck she could have even taken a page from Connors book and charged forward from time to time. Its what she did when she played doubles!, but almost never did she really go after those weak second serves and either take control of the rally, or attack the net.

[@pjesf]

@@BTURNER1961 - That's a great point. In fact just the other day I watched a mixed doubles match where she was playing with Connors and she was playing both the forecourt and the net pretty darn well. Those things probably would not have extended her career because she was obviously burned out mentally at the end. She could maybe have had a couple more GS titles in 87/88. She contested Steffi pretty well at the 88 AO (and might have had that were it not for the delay) and I'm pretty sure that she and Martina split all of their matches post 86 FO

[@sterlingyapsoonaik7097]

Two beautiful tennis players played against each other!

[@Georg8151]

1989 and still in a final! 17 years after her career breakthrough in 1972. Still playing so powerful. And always ladylike in her behavior. Legend!❤

[@wackybrinyc29]

Fantastic video and great editing. Thanks so much! Love watching these classic matches in short form!

[@CindyC71]

+wackybrinyc29 Thank you! And you're very welcome :)

[@creativeworld3927]

Gabriela's backhand is STILL a thing of beauty to watch... great form... perfection. And I'm a guy who's athletic and hits a solid powerful backhand myself. Of course Chrissie wasn't too bad herself... ha ha for the understatement.

[@joeyconvery2055]

creative+world Chris Evert was Amazing! Let's not forget Chrissie is about 15 years older than Gaby and Steffi...huge age gap.

[@johndillani5552]

What a wonderful contrasts of two classic styles. Evert did a fine job of mixing up smart play and excellent placement (dropshots, lobs, approaches to the net, short angles, etc) to disrupt Sabatini's relentless looping topspin assault. Gabriella played one of her finest matches however, edging a 34 yr old Chris Evert on the latter's final year on tour.

[@whitestar655]

Thank you so much for posting this! I recall watching this particular match on TV, end to end, as a live broadcast. It's as interesting to watch now as it was way back then. Helped bring back some fond memories of two very interesting and entertaining ladies. :-)

[@CindyC71]

+Martin McGill You're welcome! Glad you're enjoying this match :)

[@dariocuello4804]

La dama del tenis no pudo contra el talento de Gaby... Hermoso partido...

[@frankennyg1]

Two of my faves from the 80s. Love how Chrissie improved her game to keep up with new, more powerful generation. She was so aggressive in this match!!!

[@tennisanya]

I deeply enjoyed watching this and some others of the matches. I admire the "old style" of play, so many varied shots, long rallies and serves that are meant to get the point started so the server can execute her plan. There's much to be said for this manner of play, and much admiration for Evert and her steely determination and her guts: that drop shot return! Who does that?

[@CindyC71]

+Ann Sumner Hi Ann, and i agree! I love the older style tennis, so much emphasis on strategy and placement, and Chrissie was the epitome of that in her day :)

[@barcze]

+Ann Sumner Radwanska? ;p

[@deanseaforth]

Ann Sumner It is also fascinating to watch “Chrissie’s mind”at work and watch her go about solving a problem. This ability is what I admire most about her.

[@ecor150]

The best period of Tennis is the 90s. Perfect balance of power and variety and that's when all the greatest prodigies played or started playing (Seles, Hingis, Williams, Capriati, Davenport, etc) all while Graf and Navratilova were still playing. Here, they are playing it way too safe. I'm like can they just add a bit more pace when they get a weak reply? Hingis is more fun to watch than Evert when it comes to variety, Hingis had to deal with all that power.

[@melquiadesmartinez8680]

Lunes 20/Dic/2021 ÉPOCA DE ORO DEL TENIS FEMENINO INTERNACIONAL: En mi calidad de MEXICANO, siempre la admire por su belleza y su fuerza, concentración y la gran DIGNIDAD al perder no menos al ganar, sin caer en lo soberbio; ALGUIEN a quien imitar por tan gran disciplina y entrega. El tenis de los 80's - 90's eran lo máximo aún recuerdo a todavía la mujer más BELLA de este deporte, La Bellísima Argentina GABRIELA SABATINE; se le acerca un poco María Sharapova, pero la GRAN GABY SABATINE .....con mucho sigue siendo la mujer más bella DE TODOS LOS TIEMPOS, que ha gustado de jugar este deporte.... !. FELICIDADES A TAN GRAN ARGENTINA.

[@brianpreston4404]

ThankU!! Man, Arthur Ashe Commentating

[@CindyC71]

You're welcome!

[@moviefan4life166]

Love it Cindy! Gaby was my all time fav!! When her heart was in it, from 89-92, she was sooooo special to watch.

[@kylestewart1439]

Chris is 34 here and she never lost her speed or her smooth graceful power she could have played in the 90's if she liked and been very formidable but I also respect her classy retirement timing ❤❤

[@corgeousgeorge]

Man oh man was Chris covering some ground in this match. She never looked winded tho Sabatini did at times, Chris wasn't winning like she used to but she was by far fitter and playing better than she ever did earlier in her career.

[@ericmauricio511]

Qué lindo revés, tenía la Sabatini. ¡Saludos!.

[@trotsky88]

Sabatini beat Chris' butt, son! Good video

[@suninmoon4601]

Nowadays those groundstrokes look straight out of a museum of natural history, but that footwork! Had forgotten how well C.E. moved 🏃‍♀️

[@jerrybrownell3633]

I don't care how many GS Titles Serena has and I absolutely love Steffi but Chris Evert is still the GOAT. She still holds the record for all time winning percentage

[@jerrybrownell3633]

@@jjboyd01 - Apparently you never watched Tennis before 2000. They were as fast and strong as today's players but they used the heavier wooden racquets and didn't have the luxury of the quicker racquets they use today.

[@Sureela_Dimagh]

❤ O Saba ❤ wonderful cross court ❤ wins at first match point with Ace ❤ from prime Chris is truly a wonder ❤ Sabatini Argentini ❤

[@andrews6341]

This is very much power and heavy spin tennis which i do not think Evert really experienced before , she looks exhausted and also overpowered by Sabatini

[@danielnavarro8054]

Gaby, orgullo enfrentando a las grandes leyendas del tenis y a todas les gano, GABY LEYENDA DEL TENIS MUNDIAL FEMENINO.

[@hugobossfan1]

Acá con las cámaras casi al nivel del court se puede ver la velocidad con que jugaban ya en aquella época. Wow increible!

[@misslindacjones2392]

those rallies and shots were insane!!!!!!!!!!! lotta fun to watch............. not sure if is as fun to watch with these players now

[@siberiantiger8553]

Chris simply the best

[@ryancarver585]

Too powerful of a game for Chris Evert

[@jl3322]

Everts last year on the tour at 34. She knew it was time to go even though she played well her last year-4 titles

[@AzoreanZionist]

GABRIELA È BELLISSIMA 🥰🎾

[@edvardga5380]

Fabulosa Gaby, se subia a la red, y su reves era extraordinario !!

[@keithjacobson1640]

Seeing Gaby play this well really makes me wonder how she didn't win a 2nd major.

[@IvanGuerrero-w9d]

Cuan cariño alegria respeto emocionante nena linda

[@3883melange]

So incredible!!

[@SDSFG45]

what I remember most about this match, was how unafraid of Evert, Sabatini was....in previous matches she wasn't terrified of Chris, oer say...but she like too many other players to name, feared Evert...and it starts with this feeling of helplessness in the "gut of the match"...where Gabby knew somehow, someway...that Evert was going to figure out how to get past her opponent and win. And secondly, Sabatini hadn't won a grand slam at this point...she did in 1990. But how must it feel, to be on the other side from a woman who won 18, to your ZERO?..its gotta be intimidating. But here, in 1989, Evert was a step slower, and having more difficulty with the shoulder high topspin. And you name a player that played her towards the end of her career, and they'll tell you, jumping on her FIRST SERVE and hitting a lot of topspin to either of her groundstrokes and pulling her off the court, to force errors and make her run even more...was the way to beating Chris Evert.

[@fjordking]

the one-handed backhand is almost extinct

[@alexsdb9712]

Tennis is almost extinct!

[@tomschmitz-dj1fg]

Sabatini was so excited to win, because this was the first time, she had ever beaten Evert in 3 sets... Course, it was a 34 going to be 35 year old retiring Evert in her last year. Just saying...

[@hugobossfan1]

Y chrissie wow es leyenda viviente

[@spartansrace4293]

Wherever chris played in Florida it was must see tennis . Look at the crowd

[@aleksthegreat4130]

It is really female tennis,joy to watch.

[@kofiofosu9051]

How fantastic

[@zeddeka]

Gabi really exploiting the technical weakness in Chris's game - her inability to take the ball on the rise. Because she couldn't step in and take the ball early, Gabi's topspin pushed Chris allover the court - way out wide or way behind the baseline.

[@nreeldeep1]

You're not saying anything special. Every player has technical weaknesses and somebody else exploits them. Anybody with that type of topspin can push people around if they have good length and heavy spin. Sabatini pushed everyone around from time to time when she was on. Evert was also was in her last year of an 18 year illustrious career wherein hundreds of players "exploited" her weaknesses, yet she still came away with 18 majors and an all time best 90% winning percentage. An aging Navratilova ran into the same onslaught from sabatini and other very young and bigger, stronger players like Seles and Graf.

[@joeyconvery2055]

Remember, Chris is 16 years older than Sabatini. That is a huge age gap. Chris played amazing.

[@zeddeka]

@@nreeldeep1 who said I was saying anything special? I'm pointing out the obvious. Chris's strokes were grooved in the late 60s and early 70s when nobody hit with much topspin. If you compare Evert's stroke mechanics to a player from a later generation, say, Monica Seles, you can quite clearly see that Seles was much better equipped than Evert to deal with Sabatini's heavy topspin because Seles could and would step in and cut the ball off before it pushed her too far out of the court. That's why you see Chris so far behind the baseline and dragged way off court in this match. Some players handled Sabatini's topspin much better than others (Navratilova's groundstrokes were similarly grooved in a different era that didn't accommodate for topspin like Gabi's but seeing as she was at the net most of the time it wasn't as much of a factor). Seeing as this is a match between Evert and Sabatini, I was pointing out the problems Evert had in playing Sabatini. That's all. Just take a look at how far back behind the baseline Evert is on many points for evidence.

[@JayYoutube1]

In this video there was even a forehand of Chris when she took the ball on the rise. It was a killer winner and looked like 2022 speed. I think if she played longer she would have changed it but she ones said she did not liked this kind of play so she better stopped.

[@andrewromero5008]

Tough loss for Chris. She fought hard, but Savatini

[@ObeluStrawberry]

somewhat it looks slower than the game now, is it because of the court, the ball used or the racket?

[@kiwibelt]

Gabby would just pull you further and further off the court with looping wide shots....such heavy topspin...you can't actually see how much shape is on the ball from this high angle. It is SO exhausting running side to side as Gaby starts grinding you down. Chris did a great job considering it was her last year on tour.

[@zeddeka]

The only real way to counter it was to step in and take the ball on the rise, like Monica Seles did. Unfortunately, Chris developed her game in an era where players just didn't learn how to do that because of the equipment, and you can see how helpless she looks in some of these rallies.

[@erickamila833]

chris was not far to win but her age and she looks so tired in the third set...it makes sense that gaby won; two years ago, chrissie wins this match

[@carlosvalverdi2590]

Hermoso el juego de Gaby .

[@robrivax]

Creating all that spin takes a lot more effort. Gabby would have been served better with all her athleticism to have had a flatter strokes IMO. I know she came from the clay courts, but she would have had better results I feel with a simpler style of play and again relying on her athleticism which was spectacular.

[@Freezin_blue]

oh boy is it me or it feels like slow motion compared to today's power tennis 🎾 ? Gorgeous match though 👌

[@rufianmelancolic]

Cuando el tenis era de fantástico nivel y sin necesidad de tanto griterío...

[@darealgeegaming]

Great match indeed 🔥🔥 but this the thing about like chris evert and any other player like her where you feel they could have won.

[@roshidihashim1637]

Gaby..... Live u....

[@roshidihashim1637]

Love you gaby....

[@franciscodeoliveira7935]

Chris had a lot of tough matches in this tournament if you look at the draw. Between Gabriela and the wind it was too much for Evert because she seemed « didn’t have enough in the tank ». Please Shilhin 1, Len Welch, Joe Moma yours comments are precious here too!

[@zeddeka]

I think as well she struggled a lot with Gabriela's heavy topspin game. It's very tiring to deal with those high bouncing balls, and Chris's stroke mechanics were from an era before players hit like that. As a result, she really struggled to deal with them. She let the balls drop rather than take them on the rise, and as a result she was pushed way back, or way off the court when dealing with cross court shots.

[@roshidihashim1637]

Good match.....

[@debramorganstern5819]

Chris Evert may have lost, but great ground strokes,.

[@thomasschmitz9894]

great match. i believe this is the 1st time sabatini had ever beat evert in a 3 set match.... that explains her very ecstatic reaction at the end.. by this time in 1989 evert's retirement year she could beat almost anyone still but also lost to those who were far beneath her as well. she would have losses to mcneil, minter, paulus, among others. just depended on "what side of the bed she woke up that morning" and mostly to do with her mental focus and determination... she didn't exactly enjoy playing sabatini's style of play by this time,, didn't have the patience anymore to grind away

[@tommysutarso5819]

thomas schmitz , Sabatini has beaten Chris at semifinal of the Canada open 1988. Sabatini won the title after beating Natasha Zvereva in the final.

[@scotte8629]

@tommy, he said 'in a 3 set match", which is 100% correct. Not first win ever.

[@richardross4677]

When Sabatini beat players, espeicaly top players, it was usually in 2 sets, since her stamina was highly questionable at this stage of her career. One reason she had so many 3 set losses to Graf. That must be why it took until now to beat an old Evert in 3 sets (she probably had some 2 set wins before this).

[@joerg677]

@@richardross4677 Head to Head was 6:3 for Evert.

[@richardross4677]

@@joerg677 Thanks!

[@pgarciaAP]

What is with the seizure inducing flashes?

[@nocomment5778]

That was a bit harsh toward Sabatini when she served the ace to win the match & some of the crowds reacted badly. U can see how quickly Sabatini's head went down as if she's done something wrong! Not too long, Gaby has become the most talked bout & most popular tennis player ever....& still is!!!

[@scotte8629]

most talked about and most popular.... LOL no.

[@CMRinehart]

Chris played in an era when few if any women hit the ball hard. It was all about moving your opponent from side to side, and waiting for an opening, or waiting for them to make a mistake.

[@rajulsaravia4366]

Luv u Gaby

[@camousjoel1661]

Gabriela était une fée latine !

[@viajerodeaqui]

So pretty match!

[@woodskier]

its ALL foot work

[@robertorobertes7630]

Que grande Gaby! La hizo correr a ever por siempre (osea ever, digo..., ejem, continuen).

[@edvardga5380]

Poderosa Gaby !!

[@senorgato70]

As much as I love Gaby (she's one of my favorites ever, along with Chris), this match really bothered me. She was so sloppy, arms flailing, legs all over the place. And it carried through for a few years after, even during her 1990 USO win. So much wasted energy, mishits, and inaccuracy of her shots. I'm truly surprised she came through with a win.

[@shazebabrar197]

If you compare it with today's matches it looks hilarious considering it is being played between top players.

[@JayYoutube1]

It doesn't.

[@jm7804]

Chris played too far back here. That's why she lost this match. She was one of the few players who could hit on the rise off both sides if need be. Otherwise every other ball Sabatini hit took some crazy spin. Monica had a great game to counter-act those spins.

[@zeddeka]

Disagree with you somewhat. Chris was brought up in a world of wooden racquets. Hitting on the rise was just not really in her repertoire - it was very hard to do with the technology she'd grooved her strokes with. She tended to let the ball drop, which is why she's so far back. Her stroke mechanics just weren't designed to deal with heavy topspin, because nobody hit like that when she was growing up. There's one famous point in her match against Monica Seles at the 1989 us open where Monica hit a moonball, and rather than take the ball on the rise, Chris moved so far back that she got to the backdrop and the ball bounced over her head.

[@marcelomaddaloni3856]

no balls out, a miracle!

[@ralfbeckmann597]

❤❤❤

[@stephencross4277]

Chris Everts forehand is so old school, no topspin but you have to admire her amazing consistency.Sabatini has much better strokes.Easy the better player

[@whitestar655]

+Stephen Cross Chris hit with lots of topspin off the forehand side Stephen! She did this with much more relish from '84 onwards; it might seem lesser in context when compared with Gaby's more extreme version. Different grips, different styles. Better player? Hmm....

[@milesmontemore5060]

+Martin McGill Lots of topspin, Martin? No way. According to Billie Jean King, Chris basically hit a flat forehand with a touch of slice and a touch of sidespin. Cheers.

[@whitestar655]

+Miles Montemore Hi Miles, thanks for your response. Per my original post to Stephen, I note that Chris hit with a lot of spin from mid '84 on, specifically as an offensive weapon to the Navratilova backhand off of short balls. I watched Chris over the years use it effectively, not just on her preferred clay, but interestingly also indoors, where she deployed it to pull (right handed) players wide and open up their backhand wings. For sure she struck that somewhat unique sidespin forehand, and of course her "frying pan" flat groundies, but just watch her on video if you can roll that forehand side. In the UK, our own late Dan Maskell from the BBC once said she was the only player her ever saw hitting with real topspin on that side; no mean feat given the Prostaff she was playing with, heavy in comparison with modern racquet technology. Again, check out that topspin lob of Evert's too; it was amazing. Gabby hit a more exaggerated topspin of course, and off both wings, and on most shots. Evert was an older (in every way!) player with greater variety/tenacity. No matter what, it was a great match to watch! :-) Thanks!

[@jpeyton88]

Evert's father said with change to graphite Evert hit a lot more topspin on her forehand. I saw her play live a few times, hit relatively flat, but with enough topspin to keep the ball in the court. On cross court passes though, she used a bit more top.

[@jpeyton88]

Virginia Wade pointed out in her commentary of Evert, that by the 80's Evert hit more a lot more topspin on her forehand than she did in the 70s. Tony Trabert said the same about Evert. Too much topspin, anyway, can get one in trouble,. Look at Nadal's record against djokovic the last two years.

[@MrTacasio]

Its like watching in slow-mo

[@phillyjulie]

Cool story, bro

[@ipiap]

At least you can figure out some tactics.

[@koolwhat]

the winner @ 11:33 is mind boggling... truly a great of the game..!