Players: Chris Evert
- Chris Evert – Ice Maiden
Chris Evert, “The Ice Maiden”, was born in 1954 in Florida. Trained by his father, he developed a game based on consistency, keeping the opposition away from the net with his deep shots and punishing them with great passes if they caught the net off guard. He made his first major breakthrough at age 16, reaching the semifinals of the US Open (losing to world No. 1 Billie Jean King 6–3, 6–2).
From 1974, she dominated the game, along with her biggest rival, Martina Navratilova. In seven years, he claimed no fewer than 11 Grand Slam crowns; Roland Garros (where he remained unbeaten since the 1973 final) in 1974, 1975, 1979 and 1980, Wimbledon In 1974 and 1976, US Open in 1975, 1976, 1978 and 1980. He was also a five-time runner-up, and in those years he never lost past the semifinals of a Grand Slam event.
She was the undisputed queen of clay, completing a 125-game winning streak on this surface from 1973-1979. He spent 158 weeks as world No. 1, including 113 consecutive weeks from May 1976 to July 1978. In October 1980, shortly after his fifth U.S. title, he won his fifth career title shortly after the U.S. Open. 25.
- Andrea Jaeger, the new baby prodigy
Andrea Jaeger, born in 1965, was the new American prodigy. She won her first WTA title in Las Vegas in January, before she was even 15 (defeating Barbara Potter 7-6, 4-6, 6-1 in the final). In the same year, she reached the quarterfinals at Wimbledon (lost to Evert, 6-1, 6-1), and the semi-finals at the US Open (lost to Hana Mandlikova, 6-1, 3-6, 7-6). In September, she won the biggest title of her young career, getting revenge against Mandlikova (7-5, 4-6, 6-3) in the final of the Buick Riviera Classic in Las Vegas.
Location: Deer Creek, Florida
The Maybelline Classic was a women’s tennis tournament created by tennis promoter George Liddy, first held in 1980 at Deer Creek Racquet Club in Deerfield Beach, Florida, on hard courts.
Facts: Evert’s 100th Cup
When Chris Evert met Andrea Yager in the finals of the Maybelline Classic on October 19, 1980, she was trying to regain the world No. 1 ranking she had lost to Navratilova in September 1979. Since then, new challenger Tracy Austin, who defeated Evert in 1974 He has been world No. 1 since April 1980.
Now Evert, who had won Roland Garros and the US Open and was runner-up at Wimbledon, was not far behind. If he plays well in the final tournaments of the season, he could complete the year-end title for the fourth time. “Chrissy” had already won six tournaments in 1980, which was not much compared to the 16 titles he claimed in 1974, but he now had a chance to claim his 100th career title.
His rival was the new prodigy. Just 15 years old, Jaeger has already won three titles and recently reached the semifinals at Forest Hills. However, he did not win a set in his first three matches against the great Evert. He was even punished in the Wimbledon quarterfinals, 6-1, 6-1.
In this fourth match between the two players, Evert again topped Jaeger 6-4, 6-1, showing that he still needs to improve if he is to threaten the world’s best players. The “Ice Maiden” lifted the 100th trophy of her career, and she was still only 25 years old.
What next? 154 titles for Evert.
Evert would regain the world No. 1 spot on November 18, 1980, and would remain at the top for another 76 weeks until May 1982. He would spend a total of 260 weeks as world No. 1. In total, Evert would win 154 titles by the time his career ended in 1989, including 18 Grand Slams.
Andrea Jaeger eventually beat Evert three times in 1982. She claimed 10 titles and would finish runner-up at Roland Garros in 1982 and Wimbledon in 1983, losing each time to Martina Navratilova. Unfortunately, a shoulder injury would force him to retire already in 1985, at the age of 20.
