Career Highlights
1986 - 1989
Professional Debut
Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario made her professional debut in a clay tournament in her hometown, Barcelona, in May 1986 at the age of 14. Then, she was the No. 1 ranked female player in Spain. In her first professional tournament, she racked up 4 wins before losing in the semi-finals. Known affectionately to fans as "The Barcelona Bumblebee", she reached her first tournament final in Buenos Aires, Brazil, where she lost to home favourite, Gabriela Sabatini. At the end of her first year as a professional, Sanchez-Vicario was ranked 124th in the world.
Grand Slam Debut
Making her Grand Slam debut in the 1987 French Open, she advanced to as far as the quarterfinals where she lost in straight sets to Gabriela Sabatini. She did not feature much in the year's final two Grand Slams, where she lost in the first rounds on both occasions. She first came into prominence at the 1988 French Open, when ranked at a modest No. 22 in the world, she sent off the tournament's third seed, seven-time champion Chris Evert in the third round in straight sets. That was to remain as one of the biggest upsets in the history of the tournament. Though she fell in the quarterfinal, she started to establish herself as a dominating force on clay. Sanchez-Vicario moved up four more spots to end the year at No. 18.
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