Flashback: 'Golden" Graf in 1988 AO Final

Steffi Graf took the first step in achieving her historic "Golden Slam" when she beat Chris Evert in the 1988 Australian Open Women's Final.

By Erik Gudris

Each day during the Australian Open we will take a trip in our tennis time machine to relive historical moments in the tournament's history. Today we will look at a classic match between Roger Federer and Janko Tipsarevic in 2008. (Yesterday, we revisited John McEnroe's infamous AO banishment; on Monday, it was the "Serena Slam" Tuesday it was Federer and Tipsarevic's classic '08 clash.)

(January 18, 2013) -- The 1988 Australian Open Women's Final proved to be a historic moment not only for the sport but for each of the two women competing in it.

18-year-old Steffi Graf faced off against veteran Chris Evert who was a two-time winner of the event. After Graf earned a 2-1 lead in the opening set, a rain delay prompted officials to close the retractable roof over the center court. When play resumed, it marked the first time in tennis history that a Grand Slam final would be decided indoors.

Graf raced through the first set and built up a sizable 5-1 lead in the second before Evert mounted a spirited rally to take the next five games. A tiebreak was needed to decide the outcome and it was Graf who prevailed 6-1, 7-6(3) to win her first Australian Open title.

That win became the first step in Graf completing a rare "Golden Slam" that included winning all four Majors and the gold medal at the Olympics.

For Evert, it would mark her last appearance in a Grand Slam final. Graf herself would go on to win Melbourne a total of four times to add to her overall total of 22 Grand Slam singles titles.