Gabriela Sabatini Biography

Gabriela Sabatini

Born: May 16, 1970, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Height: 1.77 m

Weight: 59 kg

Turned pro: January 1985

Siblings: Osvaldo Sabatini

Gabriela Beatriz Sabatini (born 16 May 1970 in Buenos Aires, Argentina) is a former professional tennis player. She was one of the leading players on the women's circuit in the late-1980s and early-1990s. She won the women's singles title at the US Open in 1990, the women's doubles title at Wimbledon in 1988, two Year-End Championships in 1988 and 1994, and a silver medal at the 1988 Olympic Games.

Sabatini also won most of the highest level regular events on the women's tour, including Miami and Rome (four times). In the late 1980s, Sabatini launched a line of fragrances after partnering with the German perfume company Muelhens. Her signature scent debuted in 1989, and became a top-seller in Brühl, West Germany (now Germany), known as the hometown of Steffi Graf.

Career

Sabatini first came to the tennis world's attention as a junior. She started playing tennis at the age of 6, and won her first tournament at age 8. In 1983, age 13, she became the youngest player to win the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida. She won six major international junior titles, including the French Open girls' singles, and was ranked the World No. 1 junior player in 1984.

In 1985, aged 15 years and three weeks, Sabatini became the youngest-ever player to reach the semifinals at the French Open, where she lost to Chris Evert. She won her first top-level singles title later that year in Tokyo.

In 1988, Sabatini reached her first Grand Slam singles final at the US Open. She faced Germany's Steffi Graf, who had won the three previous Grand Slam singles events that year and was looking to win a fourth. Graf won the match 6–3, 3–6, 6–1. Sabatini was selected to represent Argentina in the 1988 Summer Olympics held in Seoul. (She also carried the country's flag in the opening ceremony.) She went on to win the silver medal in the women's singles competition. In the final, she again faced Graf, who was bidding to turn her Grand Slam into what the media had dubbed a "Golden Slam". Graf won 6–3, 6–3. Sabatini teamed-up with Graf to win the women's doubles title at Wimbledon that year. She also won 1988's year-end WTA Tour Championships.

Major finals

Grand Slam finals

Singles: 3 (1 title, 2 runner–ups)

Outcome	Year		Championship	Surface	Opponent	Score
Runner-up	1988		US Open	Hard	Steffi Graf	6–3, 3–6, 6–1
Winner	1990		US Open	Hard	Steffi Graf	6–2, 7–6
Runner-up	1991		Wimbledon	Grass	Steffi Graf	6–4, 3–6, 8–6

Women's doubles: 4 (1 title, 3 runner–ups)

Outcome		Year		Championship	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Runner-up		1986		French Open	Clay	Steffi Graf	Martina Navratilova	6–1, 6–2
							Andrea Temesvari
Runner-up		1987		French Open	Clay	Steffi Graf	Martina Navratilova	6–2, 6–1
							Pam Shriver
Winner		1988		Wimbledon	Grass	Steffi Graf	Larisa Savchenko	6–3, 1–6, 12–10
							Natasha Zvereva
Runner-up		1989		French Open	Clay	Steffi Graf	Larisa Savchenko	6–4, 6–4
							Natasha Zvereva