In 1989, American tennis player, Chris Evert, became the first player to win 100 matches in the U.S Open Tennis Championship. She beat Patricia Tarabinia 6-2 and 6-4.
At 16 years old, Evert made her major tournament debut at the 1971 U.S Open. She was the youngest semifinalist in U.S. Open history, losing to Billie Jean King.
She was a 21-time major champion and 18-time finalist. Her overall record is 1426 wins and 185 losses. Her single record is 1309 wins and 146 losses and her doubles record is 117 wins and 39 losses. She has a total of 189 career titles with an 88.52% overall win percentage which is the best in history.
She was ranked No. 1 in the world in 1975, 1976, 1977, 1980, and 1981. She won two Australian Open titles in singles in 1982 and 1984. She also won the French Open in singles six times in 1974, 1975, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1985, and 1986. She also won in doubles in 1974 and 1975. She won Wimbledon three times for singles in 1974, 1976, and 1981. She also won one title in doubles in 1976. And, she won the U.S. Open six times for singles in 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1980, and 1982. She also won one title in the mixed doubles in 1974.
She was a member of the United States Federation Cup Team in 1977-82 and in 1986-87 and 1989. She was also a member of the United States Championship Federation Cup Team in 1977-82, 1986, and 1989. The overall record is 57 wins and 4 losses. The singles record was 40 wins and two losses and the doubles record of 17 wins and two losses. She was a member of the U.S. Wightman Cup Team from 1975-82, and from 1984-85. She was a member of the Championship Team in 1976-77, 1980-82, and 1984-85.
She served as the President of the Women’s Tennis Association two times in 1975-76 and from 1983 until 1991. She was awarded the Flo Hyman Award in 1990 by President George H.W. Bush and was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1995.Â
She was named the Associated Press (AP) Female Athlete of the Year in 1974, 1975, 1977, and 1980. She was also named Sports Illustrated’s sportswoman of the year in 1976. She was awarded the Women’s International Tennis Association (WITA) Karan Krantzcke Sportsmanship Award in 1979.
In 1986 and 1987 she was awarded the WITA Player Service Award. In 1977, she was awarded the ITF Phillippe Chartier Award for her lifetime contribution to the game.Â
After her final tournament in 1989, she retired as the No. 4 player in the world. She had won more than $9 million dollars and was the first player ever to win 157 tournaments and 1000 matches which were the best at the time.
After she retired, she founded Christ Evert Charities which focuses on drug and family problems. With her family, she co-founded the Evert Tennis Academy in Florida. She became a coach and is now an analyst for ESPN, with a line of tennis and active apparel.
