Page "Steffi Graf" Paragraph 11

On 13 April 1986, Graf won her first WTA tournament and beat Evert for the first time in the final of the Family Circle Cup in Hilton Head, South Carolina.

( She never lost to Evert again, beating her a further seven times over the next three and a half years.

) Graf then won her next three tournaments at Amelia Island, Charleston, and Berlin, culminating in a 6 – 2, 6 – 3 defeat of Navratilova in the final of the latter.

Illness caused her to miss Wimbledon, and an accident where she broke a toe several weeks later also curtailed her momentum.

She returned to win a small tournament at Mahwah just before the US Open where, in one of the most anticipated matches of the year, she encountered Navratilova in a semifinal.

The match was played over two days with Navratilova finally winning after saving three match points 6 – 1, 6 – 7, 7 – 6.

Graf then won three consecutive indoor titles at Tokyo, Zürich, and Brighton, before once again contending with Navratilova at the season-ending Virginia Slims Championships in New York City.

This time, Navratilova beat Graf 7 – 6, 6 – 3, 6 – 2.