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Gabriela Sabatini
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Gabriela Beatriz Sabatini (b. May 16, 1970, in Buenos Aires, Argentina) is a former professional Argentine tennis player. She was one of the leading players on the women's circuit in the late-1980s and early-1990s. She won the women's singles title at the US Open in 1990, the women's doubles title at Wimbledon in 1988, and a silver medal at the 1988 Olympic Games.
tini first came to the tennis world's attention as a junior.
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Encyclopedia
Gabriela Beatriz Sabatini (b. May 16, 1970, in Buenos Aires, Argentina) is a former professional Argentine tennis player. She was one of the leading players on the women's circuit in the late-1980s and early-1990s. She won the women's singles title at the US Open in 1990, the women's doubles title at Wimbledon in 1988, and a silver medal at the 1988 Olympic Games.
Career
Sabatini first came to the tennis world's attention as a junior. She started playing tennis at the age of 6, and won her first tournament at age 8. In 1983, age 13, she became the youngest player to win the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida. She won six major international junior titles, including the French Open girls' singles, and was ranked the World No. 1 junior player in 1984.
In 1985, aged 15 years and 3 weeks, Sabatini became the youngest-ever player to reach the semifinals at the French Open, where she lost to Chris Evert. She won her first top-level singles title later that year in Tokyo.
In 1988, Sabatini reached her first Grand Slam singles final at the US Open. She faced Germany's Steffi Graf, who had won the three previous Grand Slam singles events that year and was looking to win a fourth. Graf won the match 6–3, 3–6, 6–1. Sabatini was selected to represent Argentina in the 1988 Summer Olympics held in Seoul. (She also carried the country's flag in the opening ceremony.) She went on to win the silver medal in the women's singles competition. In the final, she again faced Graf, who was bidding to turn her Grand Slam into what the media had dubbed a "Golden Slam". Graf won 6–3, 6–3. Sabatini teamed-up with Graf to win the women's doubles title at Wimbledon that year. She also won 1988's year-end WTA Tour Championships.
Sabatini's next Grand Slam singles final came in 1990, where she again faced Graf in the final of the US Open. This time, Sabatini beat Graf 6–2, 7–6. She also beat Graf in a semifinal of the WTA Tour Championships but lost the final to Monica Seles in the event's first-ever five-set final 6–4, 5–7, 3–6, 6–4, 6–2.
Sabatini had a strong start to 1991, winning five tournaments in the first half of the year. She reached her third Grand Slam singles final at Wimbledon and yet again faced Graf. Graf prevailed 6–4, 3–6, 8–6, despite the fact that Sabatini served for the match on more than one occasion. Sabatini came close to attaining the World No. 1 ranking in 1992 but was narrowly denied by Graf and then by Seles. All three players' rankings were within a few points of each other for much of the year.
After winning five tournaments in 1992, Sabatini had a 29-month drought in which she failed to win a title. She brought this run to an end at the WTA Tour Championships in 1994 and then won her first tournament of 1995 at Sydney (defeating Lindsay Davenport in the final of both events). But that proved to be the last singles title of Sabatini's career.
In 1989, she launched her own perfume, simply named "Gabriela Sabatini". Since retiring from competitive tennis, she has launched several other perfume lines. In 1992, a red-orange fiery rose was named the "Gabriela Sabatini Rose" in her honor.
In 1994, the Great American Doll Company created a doll in Sabatini's likeness, dressed in tennis clothes. That same year, Sabatini published a motivational book entitled My Story (ISBN 1-886612-00-5), providing a look at her background and the inspirations that led her to become a tennis player.
Sabatini retired from the professional tour in 1996, having won 27 singles titles and 14 doubles titles. She reached her highest ranking of World No. 3 in 1989. Her last professional singles match was on October 14, 1996, when she lost to Jennifer Capriati 6-3, 6-4. (Capriati's first loss on the WTA tour was to Sabatini in 1990.) Sabatini played her last professional match on October 19, 1996, in the doubles semifinals in Zurich with Lori McNeil. Sabatini was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame on July 15, 2006.
She presented the winner's trophy to Novak Djokovic at the 2008 Internazionali BNL d'Italia in Rome.
Grand Slam singles finals
Win (1)
| Year | Championship | Opponent in Final | Score in Final | 1990 | US Open | Steffi Graf | 6–2, 7–6 |
Runner-ups (2)
| Year | Championship | Opponent in Final | Score in Final | 1988 | US Open | Steffi Graf | 6–3, 3–6, 6–1 | 1991 | Wimbledon | Steffi Graf | 6–4, 3–6, 8–6 |
Grand Slam women's doubles finals
Win (1)
Runner-ups (3)
| Year | Championship | Partner | Opponents in Final | Score in Final | 1986 | French Open | Steffi Graf | Martina Navratilova
Andrea Temesvári | 6–1, 6–2 | 1987 | French Open (2) | | Pam Shriver | 6–2, 6–1 | 1989 | French Open (3) | | Natasha Zvereva | 6–4, 6–4 |
Titles (41)
Singles (27)
| Legend | | Grand Slam (1) | | WTA Championships (2) | | Tier I (6) | | Tier II (10) | | Tier III (2) | | Tier IV-V (1) | | VS (5) |
| | Titles by Surface | | Hard (9) | | Clay (11) | | Grass (0) | | Carpet (7) |
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| No. | Date | Tournament Name | Location | Surface | Opponent in Final | Score in Final | | 1. | October 20, 1985 | Japan Open | Tokyo | Hard | | 6–3, 6–4 | | 2. | December 7, 1986 | Argentinian Open (1) | Buenos Aires | Clay | Arantxa Sánchez Vicario | 6–1, 6–1 | | 3. | September 20, 1987 | Pan Pacific Open (1) | Tokyo | Carpet (I) | Manuela Maleeva | 6–4, 7–6(6) | | 4. | October 25, 1987 | Volvo Classic | Brighton, United Kingdom | Carpet (I) | Pam Shriver | 7–5, 6–4 | | 5. | December 6, 1987 | Argentinian Open (2) | Buenos Aires | Clay | Isabel Cueto | 6–0, 6–2 | | 6. | March 13, 1988 | Virginia Slims of Florida (1) | Boca Raton, Florida, U.S. | Hard | Steffi Graf | 2–6, 6–3, 6–1 | | 7. | May 8, 1988 | Italian Open (1) | Rome | Clay | Helen Kelesi | 6–1, 6–7(4), 6–1 | | 8. | August 21, 1988 | Player's Canadian Open | Montreal | Hard | Natasha Zvereva | 6–1, 6–2 | | 9. | November 20, 1988 | Virginia Slims Championship (1) | New York City | Carpet (I) | | 7–5, 6–3, 6–2 | | 10. | April 2, 1989 | Lipton International Players Championships | Key Biscayne, Florida, U.S. | Hard | Chris Evert | 6–1, 4–6, 6–2 | | 11. | April 16, 1989 | Bausch & Lomb Championships (1) | Amelia Island, Florida, U.S. | Clay | | 3–6, 6–3, 7–5 | | 12. | May 14, 1989 | Italian Open (2) | Rome | Clay | | 6–2, 5–7, 6–4 | | 13. | October 15, 1989 | Porsche Grand Prix | Filderstadt, Germany | Carpet (I) | Mary Joe Fernandez | 7–6(5), 6–4 | | 14. | March 11, 1990 | Virginia Slims of Florida (2) | Boca Raton, Florida, U.S. | Hard | Jennifer Capriati | 6–4, 7–5 | | 15. | September 9, 1990 | US Open | New York City | Hard | | 6–2, 7–6(4) | | 16. | February 3, 1991 | Pan Pacific Open (2) | Tokyo | Carpet | Martina Navratilova | 2–6, 6–2, 6–4 | | 17. | March 10, 1991 | Virginia Slims of Florida (3) | Boca Raton, Florida, U.S. | Hard | | 6–4, 7–6(6) | | 18. | April 7, 1991 | Family Circle Magazine Cup (1) | Hilton Head, South Carolina, U.S. | Clay | Leila Meskhi | 6–1, 6–1 | | 19. | April 14, 1991 | Bausch & Lomb Championships (2) | Amelia Island, Florida, U.S. | Clay | | 7–5, 7–6(3) | | 20. | May 12, 1991 | Peugeot Italian Open (3) | Rome | Clay | Monica Seles | 6–3, 6–2 | | 21. | January 12, 1992 | New South Wales Open Tournament of Champions (1) | Sydney, Australia | Hard | | 6–1, 6–1 | | 22. | February 2, 1992 | Toray Pan Pacific Open (3) | Tokyo | Carpet (I) | | 6–2, 4–6, 6–2 | | 23. | April 5, 1992 | Family Circle Magazine Cup (2) | Hilton Head, South Carolina, U.S. | Clay | Conchita Martínez | 6–1, 6–4 | | 24. | April 12, 1992 | Bausch & Lomb Championships (3) | Amelia Island, Florida, U.S. | Clay | | 6–2, 1–6, 6–3 | | 25. | May 10, 1992 | Peugeot Italian Open (4) | Rome | Clay | | 7–5, 6–4 | | 26. | November 14, 1994 | Virginia Slims Championship (2) | New York City | Carpet (I) | Lindsay Davenport | 6–3, 6–2, 6–4 | | 27. | January 15, 1995 | Peters International (2) | Sydney, Australia | Hard | | 6–3, 6–4 |
Doubles (14)
Grand slam events in boldface.
- 1985: Săo Paulo (with Mercedes Paz)
- 1985: Monticello (with Mercedes Paz)
- 1985: Tampa (with Carling Bassett-Seguso)
- 1986: Indianapolis US Open Clay Courts (with Steffi Graf)
- 1986: Montreal (with Zina Garrison)
- 1986: Zurich (with Steffi Graf)
- 1987: Amelia Island (with Steffi Graf)
- 1987: Rome (with Martina Navratilova)
- 1987: Buenos Aires (with Mercedes Paz)
- 1988: Key Biscayne (with Steffi Graf)
- 1988: Wimbledon (with Steffi Graf)
- 1990: Montreal (with Betsy Nagelsen)
- 1995: Chicago (with Brenda Schultz)
- 1995: Toronto (with Brenda Schultz)
Runner-ups (44)
Grand slam events in boldface.
Singles (28)
- 1985: Hilton Head (lost to Chris Evert)
- 1985: Tampa (lost to Stephanie Rehe)
- 1986: Indianapolis US Open Clay Courts (lost to Steffi Graf)
- 1987: Rome (lost to Steffi Graf)
- 1987: Virgina Slims Championships (lost to Steffi Graf)
- 1988: Hilton Head (lost to Martina Navratilova)
- 1988: Amelia Island (lost to Martina Navratilova)
- 1988: Los Angeles (lost to Chris Evert)
- 1988: US Open (lost to Steffi Graf)
- 1988: Seoul Olympics (lost to Steffi Graf)
- 1989: Tampa (lost to Conchita Martínez)
- 1989: Berlin (lost to Steffi Graf)
- 1989: Manhattan Beach (lost to Martina Navratilova)
- 1990: Zurich (lost to Steffi Graf)
- 1990: Worchester (lost to Steffi Graf)
- 1990: Virginia Slims Championships (lost to Monica Seles)
- 1991: Key Biscayne (lost to Monica Seles)
- 1991: Wimbledon (lost to Steffi Graf)
- 1992: Key Biscayne (lost to Arantxa Sánchez Vicario)
- 1992: Tokyo Nichirei International (lost to Monica Seles)
- 1992: Filderstadt (lost to Martina Navratilova)
- 1993: Amelia Island (lost to Arantxa Sánchez Vicario)
- 1993: Rome (lost to Conchita Martínez)
- 1993: Berlin (lost to Steffi Graf)
- 1994: Amelia Island (lost to Arantxa Sánchez Vicario)
- 1994: Strasbourg (lost to Mary Joe Fernandez)
- 1995: Amelia Island (lost to Conchita Martínez)
- 1995: Filderstadt (lost to Iva Majoli)
Doubles (16)
- 1985: Palm Beach Gardens (with Laura Gildemeister)
- 1986: Amelia Island (with Catherine Tanvier)
- 1986: French Open (with Steffi Graf)
- 1986: Filderstadt (with Zina Garrison)
- 1986: Chicago (with Steffi Graf)
- 1987: San Francisco (with Zina Garrison)
- 1987: French Open (with Steffi Graf)
- 1988: Fairfax (with Helena Suková)
- 1988: Hilton Head (with Claudia Kohde-Kilsch)
- 1988: Worchester(with Helena Suková)
- 1989: French Open (with Steffi Graf)
- 1990: Manhattan Beach (with Mercedes Paz)
- 1994: Rome (with Brenda Schultz)
- 1994: Philadelphia (with Brenda Schultz)
- 1995: Berlin (with Larisa Neiland)
- 1995: Manhattan Beach (with Larisa Neiland)
Singles performance timeline
| Tournament | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | Career SR |
|---|
| Grand Slam Tournaments | | Australian Open | A | A | NH | A | A | SF | 3R | QF | SF | SF | SF | 1R | 4R | 0 / 8 | | French Open | A | SF | 4R | SF | SF | 4R | 4R | SF | SF | QF | 1R | QF | A | 0 / 11 | | Wimbledon | A | 3R | SF | QF | 4R | 2R | SF | F | SF | QF | 4R | QF | A | 0 / 11 | | US Open | 3R | 1R | 4R | QF | F | SF | W | QF | QF | QF | SF | SF | 3R | 1 / 13 | | Grand Slam SR | 0 / 1 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 4 | 1 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 2 | 1 / 43 | | Olympic Games | | Summer Olympics | NH | F | NH | A | NH | 3R | 0 / 2 | | Year-End Championship | Virginia Slims or
WTA Tour Championships | A | A | 1R /
1R 1 | F | W | SF | F | SF | SF | 1R | W | QF | A | 2 / 11 | | Career Statistics | | Tournaments Won | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 27 | | Year End Ranking | 74 | 11 | 10 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 29 | N/A |
- NH = tournament not held.
- A = did not participate in the tournament.
- SR = the ratio of the number of tournaments won to the number of those tournaments played.
- 1 Virginia Slims Championships were held twice in 1986.
See also
External links
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