"Steffi Graf has great quantity, I have great quality"- When Martina Navratilova spoke on being behind the German in the rankings after US Open win

After beating Steffi Graf in the 1987 US Open final, Martina Navratilova claimed that her quality was better than that of the German.

In 1987, Graf had established herself as the World No. 1 by the time the New York Major began, where Navratilova was seeded second.

The Czech-American reached the final without dropping a single set and was next up against Graf. Navratilova had already beaten her in the Wimbledon title clash that year and came out on top at the US Open as well, winning 7-6(4), 6-1 to claim her 17th Grand Slam singles title.

Despite defeating Graf in two Major finals, Navratilova remained the World No. 2.

''I think if I can beat her a few times, I can catch her on the computer (rankings). But like I've said before, if you win Wimbledon and the U.S. Open, it almost doesn't matter what you do the rest of the year," Navratilova said as quoted by the New York Times.

Navratilova also claimed that she had greater quality compared to Graf, who had great quantity.

''It's close. It depends on if you're going for quantity or quality. She has great quantity; I have great quality," she said.

Steffi Graf and Martina Navratilova played each other four times in 1987, with the former triumphing in the Miami Open semifinals and the French Open final. However, the latter came out on top in the Wimbledon and the US Open finals.

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Steffi Graf and Martina Navratilova faced each other five times at the US Open

Martina Navratilova at the 2023 Italian Open

Steffi Graf and Martina Navratilova squared off against each other five times at the US Open, with the latter winning on four occasions.

The first meeting between the two at the hardcourt Major came in the semifinals in 1985, when Navratilova won 6-2, 6-3. She also won the second encounter in the 1986 semifinals before triumphing in the 1987 final.

The two locked horns in the title clash of the New York Major in 1989, with Graf winning 3-6, 7-5, 6-1. Their last encounter at Flushing Meadows came in the semifinals in 1991, with Navratilova winning 7-6(6), 6-7(2), 6-4 to reach the final, where she would go on to lose to Monica Seles.

All-in-all, the two greats of the game faced each other 18 times, with their head-to-head tied at 9-9. There was a period from the 1987 French Open to the 1989 Virginia Slims Championships when they faced each other in seven successive finals, with Steffi Graf winning five and Martina Navratilova emerging victorious in the other two.