5 single Grand-Slam wonders

#5 Adriano Panatta (Italy)

Adriano Panatta, the 1976 French Open Champion, was the only player to have ever defeated Bjorn Borg on the clay of Roland Garros.

In an age when Bjorn Borg looked invincible on both grass and clay, Adriano Panatta succeeded in toppling the unstoppable Swede twice on the clay of Roland Garros. In fact, he achieved this feat twice, first in 1973, when Borg hadn’t yet started rewriting history books and for the second time in 1976, when the Swede was the two-time defending champion in the quarter-final. Panatta eventually went on to win the Roland Garros title in 1976, defeating Harold Solomon in four sets in the final.

Panatta’s record at the other Grand Slam events, however, is not very impressive. At wimbledon, he never got past the quarter-final stage while he only managed to reach the fourth round at the US Open. His title defence in 1977 ended when he was defeated by Raul Ramirez in the quarter-final.

Panatta retired three years after he won his tenth and last career title at Florence in 1980. Panatta will forever be remembered as the only player to have defeated Borg at the French Open.