grafselesfan
Banned
I am redoing this poll for the simple reason I realize I left out some worthy options on the first one- Zina Garrison, Andrea Jaeger, and Wendy Turnbull. Here are the poll options:
Helena Sukova- was runner up in 4 slams. Had wins over prime Navratilova, close to prime Navratilova, aging Navratilova, Sanchez Vicario, close to prime Evert, to reach those 4 finals. Lost those finals to Evert, Navratilova, and twice to Graf. Best chance of a slam may have been the 1990 Australian Open where she was unable to take her chances to beat Graf in the semis and would have played Mary Joe Fernandez in her first slam final.
Mary Joe Fernandez- was runner up in 3 slams. Had a win over Zina Garrison on the way to the first one I believe, though it was a depleted overall field and her draw was weak. Her 2nd slam final she reached with an impressive semifinal win over Gabriela Sabatini. Her biggest run and nearest miss of a slam was the 93 French. Had her famous comeback vs Sabatini in the quarters, thrashed Sanchez Vicario in a huge semifinal performance, then led Graf 4-3, up a break in the 3rd set of the final before falling. Two other missed opportunities might have been the 91 Australian Open where she squandered a match point vs Seles in the semis and would have played Novotna in her first slam final, and the 90 U.S Open where she let slip a lead vs eventual winner Sabatini in the semis.
Pam Shriver- surprisingly failed to reach another slam final after her 1978 U.S Open final appearance as a 16 year old. Beat reigning Wimbledon winner Navratilova in a huge victory for her to make it. Also upset Navratilova now a her peak in the 82 U.S Open quarterfinals, before falling to Mandlikova in the semis. Has been a semifinalist at Wimbledon 3 times as well.
Andrea Jaeger- reached 2 slam finals in her relatively short career. 1982 French Open shocked the tennis World by thrashing Evert in the semis, before losing to Navratilova in the final after holding a set point in the first set tiebreaker. Also finalist at Wimbledon 1983 where she crushed an aging Billie Jean King in the semis but put up little resistence to Navratilova in a poor and lopsided final. Was a semifinalist at 5 other slams giving her 7 slam semis in only 18 slams participated in. Was once seen by some as having unlimited potential, a stance likely softened by the time of her 2nd slam final defeat now at age 18, but still seemed a likely future slam winner but abruptly ended her career due to burnout in early 1984.
Zina Garrison- a tweener player of the Navrtilova and Graf eras of sorts, was a solid top 5 performer for the later part and early part of both. Reached the U.S Open semis in 1988 with a huge win over Navratilova in the quarters but fell there to Sabatini. Ended Chris Evert's career in the 1989 U.S Open quarters, but fell to Navratilova in the semis. Her greatest shining moment was probably Wimbledon 1990 when she pulled upsets over Seles in the quarters and Graf in the semis, before falling to Navratilova again in the final.
Won a total of 14 singles titles, the most impressive perhaps being an upset straight sets win over Evert in the final to win Amelia Island in 1985.
Wendy Turnbull- a finalist at 3 different slams in her career, and a moderate late blooming player who showed pretty impressive longevity becoming a pretty consistent top 5 player for a few years into her early 30s. Reached her first slam final at the 1977 U.S Open with upset wins over Navratilova and reigning Wimbledon Champ Virginia Wade, before falling to Evert in the final. Also reached the 1979 French Open final in a more depleted field before this time being thrashed by Evert in the final. Reached the 1980 Australian Open final with good wins over Shriver and an out of shape Navratilova before falling in 2 sets to Mandlikova. 13 career singles titles, known for her foot speed and good volleying.
Rosie Casals- Reached 2 slam finals, both U.S Opens. Only really big win to reach either was Virginia Wade in the 1970 semis, also beat Kerry Melville en route to the final both years. Also very impressive showing at Wimbledon where she reached the semifinals 4 different times.
Elena Dementieva- obviously an active player, and still seeking her elusive first major. In 2004 reached the finals of both the French and U.S Opens but lost both. Has reached the semis of the U.S Open 3 other times, and the semis of Wimbledon the last 2 years, losing out on a match point to eventual winner Serena Williams in the semis this year. Also lost in the Australian Open semis to eventual winner Serena Williams this year. Olympic Gold in singles is her biggest win thus far where she beat Serena in the quarters, Zvonareva in the semis, and Safina in the final to take home the prize. Has multiple wins over all the many time slam winners of her generation, although less frequently when it really matters in the slams. 13 career singles titles, 6 of those tier 1 or tier 11 variety (not counting her Oly single gold).
Olga Morozova- Reached the Wimbledon final in 74 with impressive wins over King in the quarters and Wade in the semis, before falling flat and being thrashed by Evert in the final. Reached the final of that years French Open too, also falling to Evert. This was only year she came anywhere near a slam. Actually career was pretty much over by 1976 at only 27.
I will not include Safina since I still think it is likely she will win atleast 1 at some point, and I dont think she is any good anyway. Jankovic I am sure will never win one, and I think she is even more of an unworthy candidate than Safina.
Helena Sukova- was runner up in 4 slams. Had wins over prime Navratilova, close to prime Navratilova, aging Navratilova, Sanchez Vicario, close to prime Evert, to reach those 4 finals. Lost those finals to Evert, Navratilova, and twice to Graf. Best chance of a slam may have been the 1990 Australian Open where she was unable to take her chances to beat Graf in the semis and would have played Mary Joe Fernandez in her first slam final.
Mary Joe Fernandez- was runner up in 3 slams. Had a win over Zina Garrison on the way to the first one I believe, though it was a depleted overall field and her draw was weak. Her 2nd slam final she reached with an impressive semifinal win over Gabriela Sabatini. Her biggest run and nearest miss of a slam was the 93 French. Had her famous comeback vs Sabatini in the quarters, thrashed Sanchez Vicario in a huge semifinal performance, then led Graf 4-3, up a break in the 3rd set of the final before falling. Two other missed opportunities might have been the 91 Australian Open where she squandered a match point vs Seles in the semis and would have played Novotna in her first slam final, and the 90 U.S Open where she let slip a lead vs eventual winner Sabatini in the semis.
Pam Shriver- surprisingly failed to reach another slam final after her 1978 U.S Open final appearance as a 16 year old. Beat reigning Wimbledon winner Navratilova in a huge victory for her to make it. Also upset Navratilova now a her peak in the 82 U.S Open quarterfinals, before falling to Mandlikova in the semis. Has been a semifinalist at Wimbledon 3 times as well.
Andrea Jaeger- reached 2 slam finals in her relatively short career. 1982 French Open shocked the tennis World by thrashing Evert in the semis, before losing to Navratilova in the final after holding a set point in the first set tiebreaker. Also finalist at Wimbledon 1983 where she crushed an aging Billie Jean King in the semis but put up little resistence to Navratilova in a poor and lopsided final. Was a semifinalist at 5 other slams giving her 7 slam semis in only 18 slams participated in. Was once seen by some as having unlimited potential, a stance likely softened by the time of her 2nd slam final defeat now at age 18, but still seemed a likely future slam winner but abruptly ended her career due to burnout in early 1984.
Zina Garrison- a tweener player of the Navrtilova and Graf eras of sorts, was a solid top 5 performer for the later part and early part of both. Reached the U.S Open semis in 1988 with a huge win over Navratilova in the quarters but fell there to Sabatini. Ended Chris Evert's career in the 1989 U.S Open quarters, but fell to Navratilova in the semis. Her greatest shining moment was probably Wimbledon 1990 when she pulled upsets over Seles in the quarters and Graf in the semis, before falling to Navratilova again in the final.
Won a total of 14 singles titles, the most impressive perhaps being an upset straight sets win over Evert in the final to win Amelia Island in 1985.
Wendy Turnbull- a finalist at 3 different slams in her career, and a moderate late blooming player who showed pretty impressive longevity becoming a pretty consistent top 5 player for a few years into her early 30s. Reached her first slam final at the 1977 U.S Open with upset wins over Navratilova and reigning Wimbledon Champ Virginia Wade, before falling to Evert in the final. Also reached the 1979 French Open final in a more depleted field before this time being thrashed by Evert in the final. Reached the 1980 Australian Open final with good wins over Shriver and an out of shape Navratilova before falling in 2 sets to Mandlikova. 13 career singles titles, known for her foot speed and good volleying.
Rosie Casals- Reached 2 slam finals, both U.S Opens. Only really big win to reach either was Virginia Wade in the 1970 semis, also beat Kerry Melville en route to the final both years. Also very impressive showing at Wimbledon where she reached the semifinals 4 different times.
Elena Dementieva- obviously an active player, and still seeking her elusive first major. In 2004 reached the finals of both the French and U.S Opens but lost both. Has reached the semis of the U.S Open 3 other times, and the semis of Wimbledon the last 2 years, losing out on a match point to eventual winner Serena Williams in the semis this year. Also lost in the Australian Open semis to eventual winner Serena Williams this year. Olympic Gold in singles is her biggest win thus far where she beat Serena in the quarters, Zvonareva in the semis, and Safina in the final to take home the prize. Has multiple wins over all the many time slam winners of her generation, although less frequently when it really matters in the slams. 13 career singles titles, 6 of those tier 1 or tier 11 variety (not counting her Oly single gold).
Olga Morozova- Reached the Wimbledon final in 74 with impressive wins over King in the quarters and Wade in the semis, before falling flat and being thrashed by Evert in the final. Reached the final of that years French Open too, also falling to Evert. This was only year she came anywhere near a slam. Actually career was pretty much over by 1976 at only 27.
I will not include Safina since I still think it is likely she will win atleast 1 at some point, and I dont think she is any good anyway. Jankovic I am sure will never win one, and I think she is even more of an unworthy candidate than Safina.
