Sports History On This Day: May 12

May 12, 1979 – Women’s tennis star Chris Evert Lloyd had her amazing run of 125 matches won on clay courts come to an end. The streak lasted for over six years as Ms. Lloyd could not be beaten on the clay surface until Tracy Austin defeated her 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 at Foro Italico during the Italian Open.

At the time it was the longest string of victories ever recorded in tennis. Lloyd was admittedly tired after the over three-hour match when the 25-year-old succumbed to the teenager Austin in the final hard-fought set.

During her illustrious career, Evert won 18 Grand Slam singles championships, including a record seven championships at the French Open and a record six championships at the U.S. Open.

To find more great daily sports history make sure to check out the Sports Jersey Dispatch and Pigskin Dispatch.

Chris Evert hitting a tennis ball
The photo is courtesy of Wikimedia Commons of Chris Evert in the 1970s. A former world #1 professional tennis player from Florida. Special thanks to the resources of Newspapers.com and OnThisDay.com for the information obtained.

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