GetListy » Chris Evert

U.S. Open Women’s Tennis Champions

Bill Sullivan — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 22:25:31 +0000

When Kim Clijsters announced a return to competitive tennis after retiring to try motherhood, hardly anyone expected her to be more than an interesting sideshow at the 2009 United States Open championships. Instead, the 2005 winner came back to claim her title, outlasting Serena Williams.

Here’s a list of winners since 1968, the year in which the U.S. championships were opened to professionals:

2009 — Kim Clijsters

2008 — Serena Williams

2007 — Justine Henin

2006 — Maria Sharapova

2005 — Kim Clijsters

2004 — Svetlana Kuznetsova

2003 — Justine Henin-Hardenne

2002 — Serena Williams

2001 — Venus Williams

2000 — Venus Williams

1999 — Serena Williams

1998 — Lindsay Davenport

1997 — Martina Hingis

1996 — Steffi Graf

1995 — Steffi Graf

1994 — Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario

1993 — Steffi Graf

1992 — Monica Seles

1991 — Monica Seles

1990 — Gabriela Sabatini

1989 — Steffi Graf

1988 — Steffi Graf

1987 — Martina Navratilova

1986 — Martina Navratilova

1985 — Hana Mandlikova

1984 — Martina Navratilova

1983 — Martina Navratilova

1982 — Chris Evert Lloyd

1981 — Tracy Austin

1980 — Chris Evert Lloyd

1979 — Tracy Austin

1978 — Christine Marie Evert

1977 — Christine Marie Evert

1976 — Christine Marie Evert

1975 — Christine Marie Evert

1974 — Billie Jean King

1973 — Margaret Smith Court

1972 — Billie Jean King

1971 — Billie Jean King

1970 — Margaret Smith Court

1969 — Margaret Smith Court

1968 — Virginia Wade

Source: USOpen.org

All-Time women’s Grand Slam leaders

Bill Sullivan — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 13:30:00 +0000

It isn’t Steffi Graff or Martina Navratilova. It’s not Chris Evert. And Billie Jean King doesn’t even come close.

So who’s the all-time leader among women in Grand Slam tennis championships? None other than Australia’s own Margaret Smith Court, whose best work came before the tennis boom led by King, Navratilova, Evert, and others.

Curious who else belongs on the list of tennis’ all-time greats?

Here’s the list, through Wimbledon 2009:

1. Margaret Smith Court, Australia (24)

2. Steffi Graf, Germany (22)

3. Helen Wills Moody, USA (19)

4. Chris Evert, USA (18)

T4. Martina Navratilova, Czechoslovakia, USA (18)

6. Billie Jean King, USA (12)

7. Serena Williams, USA (10)

T8. Maureen Connolly, USA (9)

T8 Monica Seles, Yugoslavia/USA (9)

T10. Suzanne Lenglen, France (8)

T10. Molla Bjursdedt Mallory, USA (8)

Source: ESPN.com

Most Career U.S. Open Tennis Matches

Bill Sullivan — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 20:26:26 +0000

You can’t win the championship if you’re not in the field, so it’s no surprise that some of the biggest winners in U.S. Open Tennis history also appear on the list of most matches played.

Without further ado, here are some of the most familiar faces on the Open stage, with total matches and years of competition:

Men:
115 – Jimmy Connors, 1970-89, ‘91-92
102 – Vic Seixas, 1940-69
98 – Andre Agassi, 1986 – 2006
89 – R. Norris Williams, 1912-35
86 – Ivan Lendl, 1979-94
78 – Bill Tilden, 1916-30

Women:
113 – Chris Evert, 1971-89
106 – Martina Navratilova, 1973-93
82 – Steffi Graf, 1984-96, ‘98
73 – Helen H. Jacobs, 1927-41; A. Louise Brough, 1941-57; Doris Hart, 1940-55
72 – Molla B. Mallory, 1915-29; Billie Jean King, 1960-79, ‘82

Source: USOpen.org

Top 100 Female Athletes

Bill Sullivan — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 22:18:32 +0000

Picking the 100 best female athletes off all time isn’t the sort of thing just anyone should wade into, but Sports Illustrated for Women decided it was worth the risk of verbal (or even physical) abuse.

Alas, the magazine folded after publishing its final issue in December of 2002, so maybe it wasn’t such a hot idea after all.

Before riding off into the sunset, the editors managed to compile their version of the best female competitors of the previous century. It’s a little dated, obviously, but still worth a look, since most of the great ones are in little danger of losing their spot.

Curious who made it…and who didn’t?

We’ll run down the Top 10:

1. Jackie Joyner-Kersee: Track & Field

2. Babe Didrikson-Zaharias, Track & Field

3. Billie Jean King, Tennis

4. Sonja Henie, Figure Skating

5. Martina Navratilova, Tennis

6. Chris Evert, Tennis

7. Bonnie Blair, Speed Skating

8. Wilma Rudolph, Track & Field

9. Nadia Comanici, Gymastics

10. Tracy Caulkins, Swimming

No, we’re not leaving you high and dry here. You can still check out the rest at the SI for Women web site.

Career Grand Slams

Bill Sullivan — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 20:50:38 +0000

Pete Sampras won 14 Grand Slam titles, but the French Open eluded him. Roger Federer has 13 Grand Slam wins, but has been similarly futile at the French.

For all his brilliance, Bjorn Borg never won the Australian or U.S. Opens. Jimmy Connors joins the list of those left frustrated in Paris.

Winning individual Grand Slam titles is nice, but winning all four is an even higher measure of greatness. That’s probably why only 14 players — five men and nine women — can claim at least one victory in each of tennis’ four major events.

Here’s the list, with the year the player completed that “career slam.”:

MEN

– Andre Agassi, USA (1999)

– Don Budge, USA (1938)

– Roy Emerson, Australia (1964)

– Rod Laver, Australia (1962)

– Fred Perry, Great Britain (1935)

WOMEN

– Maureen Connolly, USA (1953)

– Margaret Court, Australia (1963)

– Chris Evert, USA (1982)

– Steffi Graf, Germany (1988)

– Doris Hart, USA (1954)

– Shirley Fry Irvin, USA (1957)

– Billie Jean King, USA (1972)

– Martina Navratilova, Czechoslovakia/USA (1983)

– Serena Williams, USA (2003)

Source: SIVault.com