"I hope it’s going to be a long, long, long time before it happens again" - When Steffi Graf hit 51 unforced errors in Arantxa Sanchez Vicario loss

Steffi Graf is one of tennis' all-time greats, and she thoroughly dominated the sport in her prime. But the German had her fair share of disappointing defeats, with one such loss coming in the semifinals of the 1991 French Open.

Graf was seeded second at the tournament and she reached the final four without dropping a single set, losing only 20 games in the process. There, she was up against fifth seed Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, who had also won all of her sets and dropped only 17 games until then.

Steffi Graf faced the worst defeat of her career at the time, as she was thrashed 6-0, 6-2 by the Spaniard. The German made 51 unforced errors during the match as her hopes of a third French Open title were dashed spectacularly.

Graf said after the match that making so many unforced errors was something that had happened after a very long time. She then expressed hope that it would take a similarly long time before it occurred again.

“It’s been a long, long, long time since it happened, and I hope it’s going to be a long, long, long time before it happens again," Steffi Graf said.

Arantxa Sanchez Vicario reached her second Grand Slam final but lost 6-3, 6-4 to top seed and defending champion Monica Seles.

Steffi Graf and Arantxa Sanchez Vicario faced each other five times at the French Open

Steffi Graf in action at the 1995 Wimbledon Championships

Steffi Graf and Arantxa Sanchez Vicario squared off against one another five times at the French Open. The first meeting between the two at the clay-court Major came in the 1989 final, with Sanchez Vicario winning 7-6(6), 3-6, 7-5 to claim her maiden Grand Slam singles title.

The Spaniard's comprehensive win in the 1991 French Open semifinals meant she had beaten Graf a second successive time at Roland Garros. They locked horns in the final four of the tournament in 1992 as well, and Graf came back from a set down to win 0-6, 6-2, 6-2.

Their next two meetings at the Paris Major came in back-to-back finals in 1995 and 1996. The German came out on top in three sets on both occasions.

Overall, Steffi Graf and Arantxa Sanchez Vicario faced one another 36 times, with the former leading the head-to-head 28-8. The last meeting between the two came in the 1996 Wimbledon final, which the German won 6-3, 7-5.