On the 100th anniversary of the U.S. Championships, Austin created championship life in tennis' version of sudden death.
The 18-year-old rode a 16-match win streak into the final, then bounced back from a first-set blowout—the first set she lost in the tournament—to win the first Grand Slam championship decided by a final-set tie breaker. Navratilova entered the final with a 16-10 career advantage against Austin, but the teenager from California had conquered the left-handed serve-and-volleyer, 7-6, 6-4, weeks earlier in the Toronto semifinals before sweeping Chris Evert to capture the Canadian Open.
Repeatedly swiping her pink wristband across her face to wipe away percolating sweat and perhaps expend some nervous energy, Austin kept cool in both sudden-death sessions. With the title on the line in the decisive tiebreaker, and a slew of former champions—including Hall of Famer Don Budge, the first player to win the Grand Slam—sitting on folding chairs right on the court, Austin unleashed her forehand down the line for a 2-0 lead, and cracked that shot again, surprising Navratilova, for 3-0. Attacking behind a second serve, Navratilova laced a backhand volley winner into the corner, but it would be the last point she would win. Austin smacked a forehand winner down the line to extend her lead to 5-1. A historic tiebreaker came to an anti-climactic conclusion as Navratilova floated a double fault into the top of the tape on championship point—it was her 13th double fault of the final. Navratilova, one of tennis' most dangerous servers, was ultimately undone by more than 40 unforced errors and Austin's immaculate baseline play under pressure.
Two years earlier, Austin's youthful exuberance shielded her from the pressure of playing for a major title. She defeated second-seeded Navratilova, 7-5, 7-5, in the '79 semifinals before dethroning four-time defending champion Evert in the final. At 16 years and nine months old, Austin made history as the youngest-ever U.S. Open champion.
By the time the '81 Open began, Austin had gone from the hunter to the hunted, as the teenager who once seemed oblivious to pressure fully felt the magnitude of the moment when she squared off against Navratilova.
"Back when I was 13, I didn't even realize how significant the Sports Illustrated cover shoot was, and I went straight over from practice to do it without even stopping to put on makeup or get my hair styled," Austin told Forbes years later. "But as I reached adulthood, the pressure began to increase, because I realized how big the occasions were. In 1980, when I became No. 1 for the first time, I was clearly a hunted player, and my competitors' perceptions of me had changed. When I beat Martina in the 1981 U.S. Open final, I was very nervous because I realized that such opportunities wouldn't last forever."
Ravaged by injury, Austin never played another major final. Navratilova, who was emotionally moved by the crowd's supportive reception after the loss, would go on to win four U.S. Open crowns.
Top 5 U.S. Open Finals
No. 5:Austin d. Navratilova (1981)
No. 4: Sampras d. Agassi (1985)
No. 3:Graf d. Seles (1995)
No. 2:Connors d. Borg (1976)
No. 1:McEnroe d. Borg (1980)
