The five women to beat the world No 1, 2 and 3 at the same tournament

Winning any tournament is a huge challenge, but defeating the top three seeds during a run is something only five female players can ever have claimed to have done.

With no man having ever done so in a Grand Slam, there is just one woman in the Open Era to have achieved that feat but four others have done so away from the majors.

Here are the five players who defeated the world’s top three at the same event:

Steffi Graf – 1999 French Open

In what would prove to be her 22nd and last Grand Slam win, Steffi Graf’s run to the 1999 French Open was about as hard as it could get.

She entered as No 6 seed and made her way through the opening rounds without losing a set, but it was in the quarter-finals where the German’s opposition stepped up a level.

First was No 2 seed Lindsay Davenport who Graf defeated 6-1, 6-7, 6-3, setting up a semi-final tie against another American, Monica Seles.

Despite losing the first set, Graf rallied to beat the world No 3, confirming her place in the final and facing her toughest task yet – world No 1 Martina Hingis.

Just as he did in the semi-final, Graf lost the opening set but went on to win and extended her Grand Slam record to 22.

In doing so, the German made history by becoming the first player in the Open Era to defeat the top three seeds in a major, an accolade she remains the only holder of.

Serena Williams – 2002 Miami Open

In the same year Graf completed the feat, a young Serena Williams followed in her footsteps as she won her maiden major at the US Open in 1999.

A US Open victory was the only Grand Slam on the future great’s record heading into the 2002 Miami Open, but Serena gave a hint of what was to come with some brilliant displays in the Florida sunshine.

Just a few months after turning 20, Williams dominated her home tournament, making it through the first three rounds by losing just 11 games.

Her imperious form continued into the quarters where she defeated No 3 seed Hingis in straight sets, including a 6-0 score in the second.

That set up a semi-final match against her sister Venus and having beaten her just twice in their seven matches, the younger Williams sister won 6-2, 6-2 to set up a final tie against top seed Jennifer Capriati.

Her hardest game of the run, Williams needed two tie breaks to defeat her fellow American but her success meant she did not drop a single set throughout the tournament.

It marked the beginning of a special year for the future 23-time Grand Slam winner as she would go on to claim the French Open as well as the Wimbledon crown.

Venus Williams – 2008 WTA Championships

Defeating the top three seeds in a tournament was not a feat of just Serena as six years after her little sister did it, Venus Williams achieved it at the 2008 WTA Championships.

Ranked as the No 7 seed, Venus first beat No 2 Dinara Safina in her opening round robin match before facing off against sister Serena in her second tie of the tournament.

Despite losing the opening set, Venus Williams dropped just one game in the following two sets to defeat Serena who withdrew from the tournament with a stomach injury.

In the semis, Williams beat top seed Jelena Jankovic to set up an unlikely final with Vera Zvonareva, the only player to have been seeded lower than Williams in the tournament.

A 7-6 opening set for Zvonareva was countered by 6-0, 6-2 in Williams’ favour to complete her remarkable run.

Aryna Sabalenka – 2022 WTA Finals

Following Williams’ 2008 success, it would be another 14 years until another player completed the feat, this time in the form of Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka.

During the round robin stage in Fort Worth, Sabalenka defeated No 2 seed Ons Jabeur followed by No 3 Jessica Pegula but her most impressive victory came in the semi-finals where she faced off against top seed Iga Swiatek.

Having ended the season on double the points of No 2 Jabeur, Swiatek was a strong favourite for the tournament but suffered a shock defeat at the hands of Sabalenka.

The Belarusian won the first and third sets but lost in straight sets to Caroline Garcia in the final.

More facts and stats

The 5 oldest women to hold world No 1 spot in WTA Rankings: Serena Williams peerless at No 1

The 6 women to be ranked at No 1 in singles and doubles at same time: Serena Williams No 3

Barbora Krejcikova – 2023 Dubai Tennis Championships

The most recent example may well be the most impressive of all as No 30 seed Barbora Krejcikova triumphed in the 2023 Dubai Tennis Championships.

The Czech player dropped just one set in her opening three matches before coming up against No 2 seed Sabalenka.

A 6-0 defeat in the first set suggested the match was only going one way but Krejcikova hit back, winning the second set via tie break before a 6-1 victory in the third to seal her semi-final spot.

In the last four, she faced No 3 seed Jessica Pegula and dominated the deciding set, winning 6-1, 5-7, 6-0.

The final saw her toughest opponent of Swiatek but the No 30 seed shocked to win 6-4, 6-2 and seal her first WTA 1000 title.

Krejcikova became just the fifth woman to defeat the top three seeds but the first to do it from outside of the top 10. Her run was made all the remarkable considering she saved four match points against second-round opponent Daria Kasatkina.

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