The WTA Finals were first held in 1972.
The event, hosted in Boca Raton, Florida, was won by 18-time major champion Chris Evert, who defeated Australian player Kerry Melville in the final.
Since then, the likes of Steffi Graf, Monica Seles and Serena Williams have all won the prestigious end-of-year event.
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With eight singles titles to her name, Martina Navratilova is the most successful player in tournament history.
Remarkably, in 1986, the Czech-American star managed to win the singles event on two occasions.
Why were the 1986 WTA Finals held twice?
Between 1972 and 1974, the WTA Finals were held in October. The Tour then moved the event to March from 1975 to 1986.
In 1986, the WTA decided to shift to a January to November season, resulting in the WTA Finals – then named the Virginia Slims Championships – being moved from March to November.
As a result, the Australian Open – which was previously held in December – did not take place, and the WTA Finals were held twice: in March and November.
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Martina Navratilova won both events, beating Hana Mandlikova and Steffi Graf in the respective finals. Navratilova was the number one seed at both events.
“Once I was up by two sets, I felt comfortable,” Navratilova said after defeating Graf 7–6, 6–3, 6–2 in the November final. “I played a solid match, nothing spectacular, but no letdowns. This win was fantastic.”
“I’m playing against tougher competition, and that’s what makes it more gratifying,” she added. “I’ve had to play as good, if not better, than two years ago.”
Navratilova also reached the final in 1989, 1991 and 1992, but lost to Steffi Graf in 1989 and Monica Seles in 1991 and 1992.
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1986 – defeated Evonne Goolagong Cawley in the final, 7-6, 6-4
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1979 – defeated Tracy Austin in the final, 6–3, 3–6, 6–2
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1981 – defeated Andrea Jaeger in the final, 6–3, 7–6
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1983 – defeated Chris Evert in the final, 6-2, 6-0
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1983 – defeated Chris Evert in the final, 6–3, 7–5, 6–1
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1984 – defeated Helen Sukova in the final, 6–3, 7–5, 6–4
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1986 [March]: defeated Hana Mandlikova in the final, 6–2, 6–0, 3–6, 6–1
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1989 [November]: defeated Steffi Graf in the final, 7–6, 6–3, 6–2
Navratilova also won 13 WTA Finals doubles titles, which is also a record. She won her last title at the event in 1991 alongside Pam Shriver.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: Sports.yahoo.com
