The players involvedChris Evert and Yvonne Goolagong
- Chris Evert. Ice Base Queen
Chris Evert was born in 1954 in Florida. Trained by his father, he developed a game based on consistency, keeping opponents away from the net with his deep shots and punishing them with excellent passes if they drifted carelessly towards the net. He made his first major breakthrough at the age of 16, reaching the semifinals of the US Open (losing to world No. 1 Billie Jean King, 6–3, 6–2).
In 1973, at the age of 18, she finished runner-up at both Roland Garros and Wimbledon, losing to two of the best players in the world, King and Margaret Court. In 1974, she eventually won her first and second Grand Slam titles, defeating Olga Morozova in the finals of both Roland Garros and Wimbledon. She finished the year as world No. 2, winning no fewer than 16 tournaments, garnering media attention as she began an affair with Jimmy Connors.
In 1975, he continued his winning streak on clay by winning the French Open for the second time, defeating his future greatest rival in the final; Martina Navratilova (2-6, 6-2, 6-1). That year, the US Open was to be played on green for the first time, making him a heavy favorite, even if the surface was faster than European clay.
- Yvonne Gulagong. A classy Australian serve and volley
Yvonne Goolagong was born in 1951 in an Australian aborigine family. Despite heavy racial prejudice in rural Australia, he was encouraged to play tennis and in 1965 was sent to Sydney to attend high school and improve his game. Her breakthrough year on the international stage was 1971, when she won both Roland Garros and Wimbledon, where she defeated the great Margaret Court in the final (6-4, 6-1).
In the years that followed, she finished as runner-up at Grand Slam events seven times and won two Australian Open crowns in 1974 (defeating Chris Evert, 7-6, 4-6, 6-0 in the final) and 1975 (defeating Martina Navratilova, 6-3, 6-2). When he arrived at the 1975 US Open, where he had lost the finals of his last two matches, he had high expectations. Nicknamed “Sunshine Supergirl,” she was known for her grace and carefree playing style.
The placeWest Side Tennis Club, Forest Hills, New York
The US Open (known as the US Nationals until 1968 and the start of the Open Era) was founded in 1881 and, although it is the only Grand Slam tournament to have been played every year without interruption since its inception, it has moved several times over the course of 20 years.th century. First held in August 1881 on the grass courts of the Newport Casino in Rhode Island, in 1915 the tournament moved to New York City, where it was held at the West Side Tennis Club in Forest Hills. Traditionally played on grass, it was decided that from 1975 the US Grand Slam tournament would be played on green clay, also known as har-tru.
The factsGreen clay gives Evert an advantage
In the final of the 1975 US Open women’s tournament, two players were competing for the title. On the one hand, Chris Evert’s tactics relied mainly on consistency, patience and defensive skills, while on the other hand, Evon Gulagong played a creative game, attacking with his smooth backhand if he wasn’t already rushing to the net. The two women had met each other three times already, always on grass, and so far Goulagon had always had the upper hand.
This time, however, in the final at Forest Hills, the green clay should favor Evert and his ground game. In fact, his winning streak on clay was now 82 and counting. However, Gulagoni was not interested in these numbers. he was focused on his game. And what a game. Alternating forehands and slicing backhands, splitting gorgeous forehands and hitting the most improbable of winners, he made Evert’s life miserable from the opening games and he took the first set 7-5.
Evert had already said that one of his primary problems when playing Goolagong was not to be distracted by his opponent’s grace. This time there was too much at stake for him to lose focus. As the Australian continued to hit the lines with obscene ease, the 20-year-old American stuck to her plan, hoping Goolagong would eventually make the few mistakes that could change the script. It only happened at 4-4 in the second set. Evert seized the opportunity to take the set, 6-4, and after being down 1-2 in the third set, she won the last five games of the match to defeat Sunshine Supergirl and win her first title in New York (5-7, 6-4, 6-2).
“I remember looking over at my mom after the game and she was sobbing hysterically,” Evert later recalled. “I was kind of embarrassed because I’m more like my dad didn’t show my feelings. It was a game with Avon. I felt like I was better at focusing on the clay than she was, but Yvonne was so brilliant and talented. Winning that tournament meant a lot to me.”
What next?Evert begins to dominate; Goolagong adds slams
Chris Evert would win three straight at Forest Hills in 1975, 1976 and 1977, becoming the only woman to ever win the US Open on clay as the tournament moved to the hard courts of Flushing Meadows in 1978. on both red and green dirt. The “Ice Maiden” would go on to become one of the greatest players of all time, finishing with no fewer than 18 Grand Slam titles in 1989.
Evon Goolagong will claim a total of seven major crowns. Defeating Evert (6-1, 7-6) in the final at Wimbledon in 1980, she would become the only mother to win a title at the All England Club in the Open Era, three years after the birth of her first child, Kelly.
