Ill admit copying this thread from the beeb, but I thought it would be interesting to see what everyone's was.

Mine are

1. 2003 AO Final Serena vs. Venus (loved the ever changing momentum)
2. 1988 Wimbs Final Graf vs. Navratilova
3. 2002 Wimbs Final Serena vs. Venus
4. 2003 AO Semi Serena vs. Kim
5. 2005 Wimbs Final Lindsay vs. Venus

A couple of Navrat/Chrissie ones would probably make it in there if I had seen more of them, especially their Wimbledon and French Finals.

The FO Final 1992 Graf vs. Seles is probably my favourite clay court match ever
closely followed by Serena vs. Capriati FO Semi 2002, 2003 FO Semi with Serena was also really good apart from the outcome :rolleyes:

1. Henin-Hardenne v Capriati. US Open SF 2003. Epic Match - How Henin won that I don't know!
2. Sanchez-Vicario v Graf. Roland Garros F 1996. Absolute classic match - In my mind better than the more famous French Open Finals
3. Graf v Seles. Roland Garros F 1992. Average for the first set and a half it suddenly come alive and the final set is an epic.
4. Henin-Hardenne v Davenport AO 4th Round 2003. Henin battles cramp to take her first victory against Lindsay.
5. Pierce v Venus Wimbledon QF 2005. Would be further up if it had gone into a 5th set - awesome hitting from both women.

Or even a third ;)

Oops yes - bit of a rush there - i'm supposed to be working!

1. Venus vs lindsay at wimbledon 05- just the most compelling tennis from start to finish, the intensity got to such a high in the decider, and both women were hitting the most fantastic winners. Venus's backhand on matchpoint added to the drama immensely.

2. Graf vs Hingis RG 1999- tennis full of awe-inspiring shot-making and the most hilarious of strops from Hingis.

3. Venus vs Hingis Wimbledon 2000- Totally thrilling tennis, with some of the best rallies i'd ever seen. Both players at their best, especially venus hitting the ball with such ferocity.

4. Serena vs Venus, Aussie Open 2003- The Sisters most dramatic clash. Horrible errors, mixed with some of the WTA's most inspiring winners. It had everything, quality, drama and tension.

5. Venus vs lindsay, Stanford 04- resurected lIndsay's career, and showed the world a whole new meaning to power tennis.

My favourites, bearing in mind I only got into tennis in 2000, are...

1. Venus def. Davenport, Wimbledon 2005 - This was a heartbreaking match, but I'm so pleased that Lindsay was part of a match that will go down in history, the best Slam final of this decade I think most agree on, at least from the opinion I've seen and heard, such an exciting, unpredictable match and an awesome display of the power tennis that has defined this period in the sport...

2. Serena def. Clijsters, Aussie Open 2003 - I remember, it was my first year of Uni, and I was lodging with a family, and I snuck downstairs at two in the morning to watch the AO semis, and it was a good decision :lol: because the Serena-Clijsters game was another epic, one of the best comebacks ever, Serena saving 2 mps and coming back from 1-5 down in the 3rd :bow: It was hard trying to keep quiet during that one as I'm sure you can imagine, but I managed :D

3. Henin-Hardenne def. Myskina, Athens Olympics 2004 - Yet another thriller, Myskina at the peak of her powers versus Justine who had been out for weeks with her illness, Nastya seemed to be out of it until she squeezed out the second set, and then played the best tennis I've ever seen her play to get to 5-1 in the third, but then the wheels fell off :( Justine fought so hard and won 8-6 and then the gold medal, sometimes in a player's career you can pinpoint where a slump began, and for Myskina, it was here...

4. Serena def. Capriati, YEC 2002 - I had to include a match featuring these two since they had the best rivalry of this period and almost all of their encounters were memorable, but this one is my favourite, I just remember it being one of the most high-quality matches I've ever seen, they really brought out the best in each other and this was a fine example of that, Serena coming back from a set down to win in a superb display from both women...

5. Davenport def. Sharapova, Indian Wells 2005 - Just a personal favourite, no more to add :D roflmao

I've got Serena vs clijsters on tape- unreal performance from Serena in that decider. It was funny to watch Kim look so confident and then wilt under a serena barrage from 5-1 up :lol:

Serena really corrected her errors in that set, especially afer her forehand had deserted her in that match. She was just too determined in the end for kim :yahoo: :clap:

1. Hingis v Venus 2001 Australian Open Semi-Final. Hingis was critiscised throught-out the tournament, that she was no longer dominant, and Venus and Serena were taking over, and she certainly silenced her critics.

2. Hingis v Zvonereva 2006 Australian Open. What a great return from the wilderness! Once again, she silenced her dumb critics who said she was going out in the first-round.

3. Hingis v V Williams 2000 Wimbledon. What a great match it was! Although my Hingis lost, but at least she went to the eventual champion.

4. Hingis v Novatna 1997 Wimbledon. Winning the title at 16, it has to be in my list!

5. Hingis v Graf 1999 Roland Garros. It was a great game, until Graf and the crowd spoiled it by cheating.

1. Wimbledon 2005 - Venus b. Davenport :- At times during this match, the commentators stayed quiet for long periods. The match spoke for itself.

2. Miami 2006 - Sharapova b. Golovin :- One of the most dramatic matches I've seen.

3. Wimbledon 2004 - Serena b. Mauresmo :- Mauresmo pushes Serena all the way here, but just misses out.

4. US Open 2003 - Henin-Hardenne b. Capriati :- Epic match!

5. Wimbledon 2005 - Kuznetsova b. Mirza :- An unusual choice perhaps, but I remember Mirza hitting winners from everywhere, and to this day I've searched for a copy of this match and been unsuccesful.

1. Elena Dementieva vs Mary Pierce (Fed Cup Final 2005) - after the US Open SF and all the controversy this was such a grudge match and showed my girl at her grittiest.

2. Justine vs Jennifer Capriati (US Open SF 2003) - as everyone says it was an epic

3. Justine vs Myskina (Eastbourne Final 2006) - in my opinion the best match of the year

4. Amelie vs Maria (Wimbledon SF 2006) - I could have chosen the final against Justine but it was this match that made me believe that Momo was going to take the title. It seemed to be going the way of so many Amelie SFs with her squandering a lead but she pulled herself together and dismantled the Russian.

5. Jelena Dokic vs Martina (Wimbledon 1st round 1999 (?)) - One of the first matches I remember watching on TV and watching the whole way through. I just didn't believe it was happening.

Ive decided to explain a little why I chose the matches I did as I just put them up there without really justifying it.


1. 2003 AO Final Serena vs. Venus This really was just an epic. Most people rightly agree that is the best the two sisters ever played against each other. Some stunning rallies and both girls were so mentally strong and leaping all over the shop and running like hell; both of them in the chase of thier first AO Crown.
2. 1988 Wimbs Final Graf vs. Navratilova. A real feast of athleticism with some hard hitting by both and the most ferocious I've ever seen Steffi's forehand. She was so fast. Just a lesson in grass court tennis from a volleyer and baseliner. It's not often someone is able to dismantle Martina Navratilova on grass.
3. 2002 Wimbs Final Serena vs. Venus Again a lesson in grass court tennis from both; it just happened that Serena was the stricter teacher that day :D The most sublime moving and athleticim I have EVER seen, mixed in with reams of winners and a low UE count and some incredible serving from Serena. It was closer than the scoreline suggests and even though you always felt the edge was with Serena I feel Venus pushed her to her utmost limits and they both played their best tennis in a slam final, which is what I like.
4. 2003 AO Semi Serena vs. Kim Best comeback ever, the best single example of mental strength I have ever seen in a player. Stunning hitting from both girls, they both had to play their best tennis in a closely fought match where Serena dominated at the crucial moments :)
5. 2005 Wimbs Final Lindsay vs. Venus I have rarely seen either of these players play a better match. Venus was edgy at the start but when she got into it she moved as well as she ever has and hit some unbeleivable winners that im sure lil sis was proud of. Lindsay played a very important part in making that match a classic that kept me on the edge of my seat. Against anyone else she would've won.

1. Monica vs Steffi at Australian open 1993, Final. I was there, and the way that Monica stormd home in the final two sets, and blew Steffi off the court, was such an experience. 4-6, 6-3, 6-2.

2. Monica vs Stefii, 1992 Fianl, wasn't there, but did watch it on t.v I remember screaming at Monica for blowing her opportunity to win when serving for the match. Thought she'd end up losing, bu no, not my Monica. I remember in particular the final stroke of that match vividly. Steffi hit a forehand, which caught the top of the net, and drifted back her side, and it seemed as though it stood on top of the net for about 5 minutes. 6-2, 3-6, 10-8.

3. Lindsay vs Martina, Australian open Final, 2000. I was there to watch lindsay win my country's national title. I thought it was all over when she was up 6-1, 5-1, but when Martina got back to 5-5, IO though Lindsay had blown it, but then she won the next 2 games without drop of a point. I remember screaming so loudly when she won, dozens of people started staring at me.

4. Jennifer vs Martina, Australian open Final 2002. I was once again there, and this time, all I can remember was how hot it was. I was so hot, my fat friend's sweat was dripping off onto the floor, there was this huge pile of sweat, literally. I saw Jennifer save all those match-points, and come back in one of the best comebacks of all time.

5. Martina vs Venus, 2001 Australian Open semi-final. The way that Martina totally outplayed Venus was magnificent, and as Oblivion said, it silenced the critics that said she was too weak to compete with the Williams' anymore.

Oblivion, please enlighten me on how Steffi Graf cheated Hingis in the 99 FO final. Or do you always say that as "sour grapes"?

Coz she knew that the ball was in, and she just pretended she knew nothing about it. ;)

1996 RG final Sanchez vs Graf- the first ever tennis match where i was scared to miss a single point, and i fell in love with Aranxta after that match

2005 Wim final Davenport vs Venus- should be on everyones list


1994 RG semi, Pierce vs Graf- Mary knocked out top seed Graf 6-2, 6-2, and made Steffie looki like a novice

2005 USO 4th round Pierce vs Henin Hardenne- sweet revenge for Mary

Cant remeber the year, but Dokic stuffing Hingis first round at wimbledon was amazing to watch (i am one of these people who hated Hingis first time around, but love her now ;) )

I almost put the Pierce v Graf match down to. Saw it for the first time recently - incredible play from Mary.

And despite being a Justine fan (as well as a big Mary fan) I really enjoyed their US Open match last year. Bit of a hidden gem that well - very high quality.

Dokic beating Hingis was 1999.

But have to disagree with you about Venus v Lindsay - I think it's good but not great.

Really? I know the quality wasnt great at times, but the guts and determination from both ladies, it was more like a boxing match than a tennis game, and you dont often see that from both sides of the net. Plus im a big Davenport and Venus fan!!! (i suppose if it was Clijsters-Henin, it wouldnt be on my list ;) )

No, last year's Wimbledon would go on my least favourite least. To hard seeing lindsay lose considering she was in such a commanding position throughout the match.

I agree SF, i desperately wanted Linds to win, but Venus deserved it, especially after her awesome match against Mary in the quarters

Yes, I agree there. For me, it was bittersweet. I was so glad to see Venus win a Slam for the first time in 5 years, but sad to see Lindsay miss out on yetb another Slam.

I'm going to remove Venus-Davenport from the top of my list, due to the horrible grunting.

I guess I never really went for it at the time as I wasn't able to see it live - had to leave half way through, before the end of the second set by which point it hadn't really got going that much.

I watched it later but knowing the result really took away a lot of the excitement. I'm sure I would have got swept along more if i'd seen it live though I think part of the problem is that I didn't care who won.

Even though Lindsay was in the lead for most of it didn't you just feel that Venus was saving her best stuff for the business end though SF?

I never really thought Lindsay is going to run away with this now; you always kinda felt Venus is about to comeback kinda thing.

Don't you all think though that brilliant as Mary played Graf was off form though :shrug:

Whenever I watch that match I can't help thinking, why isn't Steffi playing better :wacko:

I thought Mary vs. Justine was one of the top 3 women's matches of last years Open. But again it was a case of, well whoever wins, am I really that bothered? As I like watching both play but am not a massive Mary or Justine fan. Was good to see Mary get revenge though.

I don't think Graf was playing at her best but she still made the semis and during her career she won a lot of matches when she was playing badly.

It wasn't a case of Graf playing so badly she gave it away - for the most part she was just blown away by Pierce.

Ye true, I think I was talking to you on the beeb before about Steffi winning whilst playing ugly; and she really wasn't even given a chance to get into that match. If she'd been playing a bit better it could've been a three set epic.

Exactly. The best match ever could be between 2 players you dont really like, so to you it probably isnt as good as it was to their fans. Most of my favourite matches down the years feature Mary, Davenport, Seles and Sanchez Vicario, because they are my favourite 3 players ever, and as much as i do like (and miss :( ) the Williams, their matches dont hold as much importance to me.

Weirdly none of the Graf v Pierce matches went to three sets but then they only played 6 times which seems much too few! And they only met once after 1994!?

None of the sets even went as far as 7-5 or 7-6 either. Either one won pretty comfortably or the other did.

1993 SAN DIEGO HARD (O) Q S. GRAF 6-3 6-4
1993 US OPEN HARD (O) R16 S. GRAF 6-1 6-0
1994 FRENCH OPEN CLAY (O) S M. PIERCE 6-2 6-2
1994 CANADIAN OPEN HARD (O) S S. GRAF 6-3 6-4
1994 VS CHAMPIONSHIPS CARPET (I)Q M. PIERCE 6-4 6-4
1995 PARIS CARPET (I) F S. GRAF 6-2 6-2

An odd head to head really.

It's a shame Mary wasn't more consistent back then as she really could've been a great rival to Steffi because after Sabatini retired and Seles was injured all she really had for a lot the 90's was ASV and intermittently Jana Novotna, so Mary could've been one of her main challengers at slams and its a shame they never met more at slams.

Most of Marys big matches never seem to go 3 sets---she either wins easily, or gets stuffed :o

roflmao

Ye thats true really; after all she won both her grand slams hardly dropping any sets.

And she had probably lost less sets than Justine on her way to the FO Final last year and then has you say Liam got stuffed :rolleyes:

I think at RG, she holds the record for least number of games dropped before getting to final (in1994). On form, she is capable of beating anyone. One bad hair day though, and she lets her concentration wander and cant hit a ball. Its a shame she lets things influence her game so much, but thats why i love her :wub:

Yeah i've always been a big fan for the same reason.

She's incredibly charismatic to watch live & such a drama Queen!!!

Yes, I did. the only reason I did was because my favourites alwyas lose matches that I really want them to win. of course Venus was going to win, becaus I was going for Lindsay.

SF, you jinx :angry: roflmao

There was a thought that came over my mind in the Aussie Open final in 05. Lndsay missed this huge sitter ar 3-4 40-0, and i just knew serena was going to win :unsure: roflmao