Twenty-five years ago Thursday, Martina Hingis became the youngest player, at 16 years and 182 days old, to reach the WTA World No.1, a mark that still holds today. Since the introduction of the rankings in November 1975, only five teenagers have reached the top of the rankings.
Here is a look at some notable milestones in her ascent to the top:
Oct. 7, 1996: Top 10 debut
Hingis made her Top 10 debut in October of 1996, and her upward trajectory continued with a strong end to the season. Playing in her first tournament as a member of the Top 10, she captured her first singles title at Filderstadt and collected her second title three weeks later in Oakland by defeating co-No.1 Monica Seles in the final. Hingis would finish the season as runner-up at the WTA Finals, falling to Steffi Graf in a best-of-five final in New York City. Hingis finished the year ranked No.6.
1997: Starts season with Sydney title
Hingis’ 1996 year-end success set the stage a historic 1997 season. Playing in Sydney, the week before the first Grand Slam event of the season, she captured her third career title by defeating Jennifer Capriati in the championship match.
And then …
The following week, playing as the No.4 seed, Hingis defeated Mary Pierce in the Australian Open final, completing a championship run in which she did not drop a set. Hingis – at 16 years, 118 days old – became the youngest player to win a Grand Slam singles title, a mark that still stands.
Back-to-back titles extends streak
Hingis would continue her red-hot start to the 1997 season with back-to-back titles at events in Tokyo [Pan Pacific] and Paris [Indoors]. The title run in Tokyo was aided by a walkover in the championship match, when Graf had to withdraw before the final.
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Fifth consecutive title pushes Hingis to top
Hingis captured the Miami title with a swift 6-2, 6-1 win against Seles in a championship match that lasted only 44 minutes. The Miami title was Hingis’ fifth consecutive championship to start the 1997 season and pushed her win streak to 26 straight matches. Hingis would secure the No.1 ranking after the tournament.
On March 31, 1997, Hingis officially took over the top spot, replacing Graf, who had been atop the rankings for a record 377 total weeks. Graf would not return to No.1 again.
Hingis would go on to extend her winning streak to 37 consecutive victories. She captured titles at Hilton Head and eventually the final at Roland Garros before losing in the championship match to Iva Majoli.
After moving to No.1, Hingis held the top spot for 80 consecutive weeks, before relinquishing the No.1 ranking to Lindsay Davenport on Oct. 12, 1998. Throughout her career, Hingis would hold the No.1 ranking for a total of 209 weeks, the fourth most in tour history.
