Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario vs Steffi Graf 1994 US Open Final Highlights

[@carrerau7138]

Arantxa is the ONLY player who beat the great Steffi on a slow slam surface AND on a fast slam surface! And she did this even twice in both cases (FO 89 & 91; USO 92 & 94).

[@danidro8227]

Soy argentino y mi corazón está con Arantxa, que garra que tenía, que guapa para jugar los partidos con rivales fisicamente que aparentaban mas, yo hinchaba por Gabriela Sabatini y Arantxa que conquisto mi corazón como fan.

[@dlcc4dlng]

Wow! Steffi and Arantxa gave tennis fans some epic matches in the mid 90’s. They seemed to have a genuine respect for each other as well.

[@pueraeternus111]

4:40 -- the most perfect backhand topspin lob by Graf

[@cphipps79]

Goodness her forehand in the first set with deadly. I just finished washing the Andre Agassi/Michael Chang match from this US OPEN and it seems Steffi was hitting even harder than they were. Especially off the forehand. INSANE!

[@zeddeka]

Testimony to how much Arantxa improved over the years as a match player. After losing that first set so easily, she didn't panic and worked on wearing Steffi down

[@valentinodelpiero4861]

Arantxa is 90’s third best player. She really gained her place in the game’s history.

[@CJJAK37]

I agree but wait till the avalanche of nooooo from the Hingis camp . Haha, get ready to be scorned. I agree she was due to the fact she played the full decade and was so consistent in singles doubles mixed fed cup and olympics . But Martina’s fans are about to explode hahah

[@valentinodelpiero4861]

CK you know I remembered Martina as well... (another player for the history books) but my choice here was based on her multiple Major final appearances, and as well as always being there at the last rounds of almost every single tournament. She was an incredible and tactical player who knew of her fitness and physical conditions and constructed her matches being the one who wore her opponents down. She was literally a wall that returned everything. And it is not minor to point she is the only player who managed to beat both Graf and Seles at GS Finals.

[@CJJAK37]

@@valentinodelpiero4861 agree buddy . 28 QF appearances or better in the 39 slams she played . Unbelievable consistency . . 33 4th round appearances or better out of 39. She was so consistent

[@valentinodelpiero4861]

CK nice exchange!! My pleasure

[@jujumusique1305]

@@CJJAK37 it’s a tough call. Arantxa had amazing consistency and was a top contender for a decade from 1989 to 1999. That said Hingis at her best is a better player and she’s had more slam titles in singles, doubles and mixed doubles.

[@paskferr]

Most important win in ASV career, along with that unbelievable RG89

[@peterzhou9267]

ASV was erratic in the first set, and that actually helped her to step up and be more aggressive in the windy conditions. If she had a tough first set and lost, it was unlikely to come back. There was no means Graf was playing badly at all - in fact she was still pretty decent in the end, better than some of her sloppy wins in 93' - and she could still outlast any opponents with fitness regardless, so it was really up to Sanchez to step up with the best combinations. Knowing that Graf was taking care of smashes and drive volleys, but missing quite a bit of passing shots, Sanchez came to the net more than often after losing the first set to force Graf but also shorten the rallies so Graf couldn't force a lob. Coming to the third set knowing that she had a mental edge (as she had in 94') but also a physical edge, and that Graf was slowing down the pace to outlast her, ASV gave Graf the things she hated, which was to mix up paces and be more patient. Great match.

[@shihlin1]

It's obvious Graf's back pain flared up in the second set. But to her credit she never used that as an excuse in the close loss. Graf has been criticized for using physical ailments in losses during her career, but not this time. Arancha would get payback in two excruciatingly close three set losses to Graf at 95 Wimbledon and 96 French Open finals. Arancha deemed those two losses the most painful of her career.

[@grantgoffin4774]

Aranxta is one of the luckiest players ever. I will give her credit for this win even with Graf's back issue, it was an impressive win. However she got majorly lucky with the Seles stabbing, and Hingis not being born a couple years older, as Hingis is an absolute nightmare match up for her, even worse than peak Seles. The French she won she loses to Pierce for sure without the rain delay. And don't even get me started on the 98 French where if she had wound up in the other half instead she winds up nowhere near the final, and where she got a great gift from Seles taking out Hingis for her as Hingis would have destroyed her in the final even in her mediocre mid 98 form.

[@shihlin1]

@@grantgoffin4774 No way Monica should've lost that 98 French final. My biggest impression is Monica wearing her father's wedding ring around her neck.

[@zeddeka]

Spelled arantXa rather than arancha

[@bryguy0111]

I still see this match here as steffi to lose and her back I think was a major issue and had a play in the outcome ..Sanchez with that slow serve and defensive play was normally not going to do it …Graf for the whole 94 I think she had some injuries showed the true lack Of depth in women’s tennis back then

[@jujumusique1305]

@@bryguy0111yup. 94 was an absolute low in women’s tennis, which many fail to recognize because many of the players of the 90s were incredibly likeable. Yet 94 had a combination of Graf struggling with physical issues, Seles out, Sabatini fading, Capriati out, Hingis not yet there, Novotna very erratic and Navratilova on the exit, leaving the tour to Sanchez and Martinez (and some flashes of brilliance from Pierce).

[@michaellane3017]

Excellent win and championship here for Arantxa!! :)

[@8sabu1982]

Grande 💪Arantxa. Gran año para el tenis 🎾Femenino español. Bravo...!!! 👏👏👏

[@gustavocaamano5663]

Tuvo suerte la mina en ganar el abierto de EEUU y Roland Garros ese año porque no estaba Seles en competencia !!

[@nachobaeza9714]

@@gustavocaamano5663 Eso. Tú a desmerecer. Cuanto duele para muchos que ganara en esa final.....

[@gk891]

While it is indeed possible that Graf would've won this match if her back hadn't given her problems during the second set, you really have to give Arantxa credit. She played some very aggressive tennis in this match and she was hitting her forehand much better than usual here. When she was on, she was a real beast on the court. What's funny for me is that I was not a fan of hers at all back when she was still playing. I used to enjoy watching Seles and Graf (and others) defeat her. But I have a much better appreciation for her now. She played with so much heart, grit, and determination. The fact that she won four grandslam titles during the Graf/Seles era just goes to show how good she could sometimes be.

[@grantgoffin4774]

I never liked her. She questioned too many calls and seemed to have a crummy and almost bitter attitude. I admire her for getting the most out of her talent and her fighting spirit, but I was never a fan. The crowd in the epic 96 French Open final war rooting against her is telling to how unlikeable she is when the crowds usually root for the underdog if it isn't a home country. Her pety feud with Jana Novotna in 97 was just embarassing, but that is on both their parts, not just ASV, but she seemed even more immature and bratty of the two in press conferences and words between them. They looked like two 4 year olds. Watch the press conference before their 97 Wimbledon semi, cringefest.

[@gk891]

@@grantgoffin4774 Yes, I remember that feud with Novotna! That was ... interesting to say the least!

[@grantgoffin4774]

@@gk891 Jana when comparing Sanchez to Fernandez who she had beaten in a tough 4th round at that Wimbledon. "She is playing much more agressively than Aranxta is right now. And she does not have any weakness on the forehand side like Aranxta does" LOL!

[@gk891]

@@grantgoffin4774 Putting this feud with Novotna aside though, there were times where I wondered if Arantxa was insecure of herself relative to players like Graf and Seles because they were much more successful than her.

[@peterzhou9267]

@@grantgoffin4774 The French Open 1996 was a totally different story. It appeared to be more than one factor: the French crowd really dislikes any Spanish player, ASV playing a controversial match in the Quarterfinals, but also it appears that the Seles backdrop played a factor there. There were times in which the French crowds cheered for ASV too, especially after 1998. Aside from that, it appeared that ASV did have some insecurity trying to prove herself too much at times, especially in 1996 and 97 too.

[@8sabu1982]

Que Gran remontada de Arantxa

[@MirjanaLfan]

Arantxa truly stepped up as the one to give Steffi a challenge in the forced absence of Seles and I don’t think it’s appreciated enough.

[@jujumusique1305]

Only one of TWO players to beat her more than once between 1993 end of 1996 (5 times)

[@bryguy0111]

I guess but really she was not beating Graf like Seles was

[@liisawinklergirl]

Very tame this match when you witnessed the speed and quality of the 1993 Australian Open final, it was the gold standard for the 90’s and many years to come…

[@carrerau7138]

The gold standard for the 1990s were the Wimbledon 1988, 1989 and 1992 finals.

[@8sabu1982]

El Año 🎊 de Arantxa.

[@russell1764]

Is anyone else having trouble keeping track of the ball?

[@yuhuyo4416]

Como comentaristas Raúl Santidrián y Andrés Gimeno...ahí lo dejo. Grandes Arantxa y Steffi.

[@paulbailey5236]

A match and final steffi would've won, but for the back injury.

[@3883melange]

So good!!

[@ytangel7263]

The 1994 US Open final that Steffi Graf lost was very painful to watch because she was awesome in the 1st set. Most knowledgeable tennis fans and I’m sure all Steffi fans are aware that Steffi hurt her back in this match (specifically in the 2nd set). I had a very similar experience during a tennis match where my foot caught reaching to hit a backhand slice. I tried to stabilize myself but ended hurting my back. I see that incident with Steffi and I cringe how jarring and eerily similar it was for her at that moment. This video kzbin.info/www/bejne/mHKym5ilfauUpdE actually shows Steffi hurting her back starting at 3:24. I know how that feels... painful! 😣 I know that Arantxa played really well to win the title but credit to Steffi for toughing it out and playing till the end. Incredible how Steffi can play while her back seized up. She is one tough champion!!!

[@peterzhou9267]

Well tbh the first set was almost a free gift from ASV too - she was spraying errors here and there. And despite a sore back Graf was not playing poorly (she actually would've usually won under those conditions by toughening it out). Given that ASV really had a mental edge over Graf this particular year, to keep the same intensity throughout all sets was hard for Graf too knowing that ASV had stepped up from behind. It was still a classic match and the crowd was highly entertained.

[@CJJAK37]

Graf said her back bothered her for a game and a half and then she was fine . The truth is ... Graf was able to beat everyone else in the tournament except Arantxa which shows how good ASV was . Arantxa also brought out her best tennis against Steffi . She actually respected Graf so much as a champion and liked her as a person too . If she got a win over Graf , her confidence was sky high.

[@CJJAK37]

And she could attack the backhand side. Something she couldn’t do with Seles . She hit the ball to high over the net which played into Martinas hands and Hingis was just a better version . This explains the poor head to heads

[@mattliechty1269]

It's a tribute to Steffi's phenomenal athleticism that she was still in the match barely being able to stand up. But this was mid-90s WTA. No one was even close to Graf. Even her closet rival, ASV, needed a back injury to barely beat her.

[@CJJAK37]

@@mattliechty1269 not quite . Sanchez pierce McNeil Coetzer Date Hingis De swardt, all beat her 94 to 96. She was the best player but she did loose

[@papiyadas516]

Miraculous creation of God 'Stefanie graf' love u

[@richardwalker6180]

This win was a tarnished one for arantxa because of one thing. Steffi injured herself and threw out her back during the first set. But I will say this as well. Graf did not play like her normal self she was going for too much in her movement and also in her shot selection. She was slicing and then high topspinning back hands and irractic shot making which is uncharacteristically not grafs type of playing. I do believe steffi extended herself too much during that first set and caused her body to self destruct by going way too hard. Arantxas only saving grace is that she had enough grit to decipher that graf was injured kept her cool and won it. By no means was this a dominant performance by sanchez vicario but nonetheless a win is a win.

[@planettennis2822]

Otra gran beneficiada por Gunther fue Arantxa. Con Seles y Graf juntas no hubiera ganado más de 1 grand slam.

[@carrerau7138]

😂😂😂