Other French Open finals were longer—Graf defeated Martina Navratilova, 6-4, 4-6, 8-6, in 1987, and she outdueled Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario, 6-3, 6-7 (4), 10-8, in 1996—but this final makes our list because it crammed so much action, controversial reaction, and raw emotion into three wild sets, with the German summoning perhaps the most passionate performance of her career to pull off a comeback she called her "biggest win."
The top-ranked Hingis, brazen and brilliant at times, orchestrated a beguiling all-court attack to take a set-and-a-break lead, muting the pro-Graf fans in the process. But she was ultimately broken battling both an inspired opponent and a raucous crowd, one that launched into a spirited "Steffi! Steffi! Steffi!" serenade and harshly jeered the Swiss teen after she questioned a ball mark.
This final featured eye-popping shot making, mood and momentum swings, line-call disputes, an underhanded serve, a meltdown, break down, a brusque crowd, and maybe the broadest smile a beaming Graf has ever unleashed on a tennis court. "It had everything," Graf said afterward. "That was one of the craziest matches ever. There were a lot of circumstances that made it very bizarre."
It flipped the script in the traditional two-character drama as the crowd, firmly backing Graf, played the part of chorus, empowering her and harassing Hingis in an ongoing audible rally between audience and athlete. "If you're out there on the court, and you hear 16,000 people saying 'Steffi', 'Steffi', that's amazing," Graf said. "I've played all around the world and I've never had a crowd like that. I feel French. This is the most incredible memory I will ever have in my tennis career."
Aaiming to complete the career Grand Slam at just 18, Hingis played with the fearless feel of a pickpocket, using her flair for angles and all-court skills to manage the court masterfully. The five-time Grand Slam champion built a 5-3 lead, converting her fourth set point when Graf missed the mark on a running forehand.
Holding a 6-4, 2-0 lead, a Hingis return was called out. She stopped play to question the call, and in an act the crowd perceived as pure petulance, she crossed to Graf's side of the court to inspect the mark herself, incurring the whistles and wrath of the partisan fans. Chair umpire Anne Lasserre hit Hingis with a point penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct. Hingis recovered and served with a 3-2, 40-15 lead, but she could not hold. It was the beginning of her end. Graf began to deploy her own variety, winning eight of the last nine points to close the second set. While Hingis sought refuge in a bathroom break, a revived Graf joined fans in a spontaneous rendition of the wave.
In the aftermath, Hingis, who turned her back to the court and hugged the back wall for support after the second set, was reduced to tears by the crowd's fury. Consoled by her mother and coach, Melanie Molitor, Hingis leaned on her mom as she returned to court for the trophy presentation. "If my mother hadn't been there, I wouldn't have gone back out there," Hingis said. "Would you if everyone boos you and no one wants you to win?"
Graf crafted a championship coda to her career: It was her sixth French Open triumph and her 22nd—and final—Grand Slam title. It also came on the same weekend future husband Andre Agassi fought back from a two-set deficit to defeat Andrei Medvedev to win Roland Garros and complete the career Slam. "This is the biggest win I've ever had for sure," Graf said. "I really came into this tournament without belief in myself. This is incredible."
No. 5: Graf d. Hingis (1999 Final)
No. 4: Gaudio d. Coria (2004 Final)
No. 3: Seles d. Graf (1992 Final)
No. 2: Lendl d. McEnroe (1984 Final)
No. 1: Evert d. Navratilova (1985 Final)
