Flashback: 'Golden" Graf in 1988 AO Final

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Flashback: 'Golden" Graf in 1988 AO 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.