Photos: Chris Evert's US Open story
Fifty years ago this week, a star was born when 16-year-old Chris Evert burst onto the Grand Slam scene and marched all the way to the semifinals on her US Open debut. Nearly two decades later she said goodbye to the game in New York.
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Playing her first US Open in 1971, Chris Evert saved six match points against Mary Ann Eisel in the second round. It took Billie Jean King to stop Evert in the semis.
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Nicknamed “Cinderella in Sneakers” by the media, Evert’s classmates celebrated when she returned to St. Thomas Aquinas High School in her hometown of Fort Lauderdale.
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After she won her first majors at Roland Garros and Wimbledon earlier in 1974, Evert made the semifinals on the grass of Forest Hills but was stopped by Evonne Goolagong.
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After winning her first US Open title in 1975, Evert successfully defended her crown in 1976, with both wins coming against Evonne Goolagong.
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From 1975 through 1977, the US Open was played on Har-Tru at Forest Hills – and the green clay suited Evert’s game perfectly.
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The holder of four successive US Open titles (1975-78), Evert was dethroned by 16-year-old Tracy Austin in the Flushing Meadows final of 1979.
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In 1980, Evert gained revenge on Austin in the semis before defeating Hana Mandlikova in three sets for her fifth US Open title.
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In 1981, Evert reached yet another semifinal in New York, but was stopped by Martina Navratilova in a packed Louis Armstrong Stadium.
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Evert captured her sixth and last US Open title in 1982, once again defeating Mandlikova in the final. Evert shares the Open Era record with Serena Williams for the most trophies in New York.
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In 1983, Evert congratulated Martina Navratilova on her first win at the US Open. In addition to her six titles, Evert reached three more finals at her home Slam.
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Although she played her last US Open final in 1984, Evert continued to go deep into the second week through the mid-late eighties.
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Evert played her final Grand Slam match at Flushing Meadows in 1989, falling to Zina Garrison in the quarters. She walked away from the game with a 101-12 win-loss record at the US Open and a 299-37 record across all majors.
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