1997 Men's Singles
1997 
Aged 16 years, three months and 26 days, Martina Hingis was the belle of the ball at Australian Open 1997, winning her first Grand Slam title over 1995 champion Mary Pierce of France. In a women’s draw riddled with upsets, Graf, Davenport and 1996 runner-up Huber all falling in the fourth round, Hingis didn’t drop a set during the entire tournament. Her 6-2 6-2 defeat of Pierce distinguished her as the youngest player of the 20th century to win a major. The Swiss Miss also teamed with Natasha Zvereva to take the doubles title. Dubbed the sexiest man at the Australian Open, Carlos Moya captured the hearts and minds of Australian Open fans defeating seeds Boris Becker, Felix Mantilla and Michael Chang to reach his first Grand Slam final, the youngest man to do so at the Australian Open since Stefan Edberg in 1985. Facing Pete Sampras in a championship match played in stifling heat, the odds were stacked against the Spaniard. Sampras’ 6-2 6-3 6-3 victory made him the second most successful male player in Grand Slam history, his ninth title allowing him to overtake Jimmy Connors and Ivan Lendl and bringing him within three majors of equalling Roy Emerson’s record.
