"I don't think I've ever put in such an effort and lost" - When Pam Shriver was beaten by 16-year-old Steffi Graf at US Open

Steffi Graf once beat Pam Shriver at the US Open when she was only 16 years old.

The year was 1985 and Graf was making her second appearance at the New York Major, seeded 11th. The German reached her maiden Grand Slam quarterfinal with wins over Patty Fendick, Anne Minter, Anne White and eighth seed Manuela Maleeva.

Against Pam Shriver, who was seeded fourth, Graf won the opening set via a tiebreak. The American then took the second in similar fashion to force the match into a decider.

The final set also went to a tiebreak like the other two, and Graf won it 7-4 to seal her place in a Grand Slam semifinal for the very first time.

After the match, Pam Shriver said that she could not have done any better and that she never put in such an effort only to end up on the losing side.

''I just think it was one of the most unbelievable matches that I've ever been a part of. My effort couldn't have been any more, but it was two points too less. I don't think I've ever put in such an effort and lost," Shriver said.

Steffi Graf, on the other hand, expressed her delight at winning the match and reaching the semifinals.

''I'm very happy now. I don't think I know now that I won and I am in the semis," Graf said.

The German faced second seed Martina Navratilova in the semifinals and lost 6-2, 6-3. Navratilova would go on to lose the final 7-6(3), 1-6, 7-6(2) to Hana Mandlikova.

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Steffi Graf won 9 out of 12 matches against Pam Shriver

Steffi Graf in action at the 1995 Wimbledon Championships

Steffi Graf and Pam Shriver locked horns on 12 occasions, with the German leading 9-3 in the head-to-head.

The very first meeting between the two came in the fourth round of Wimbledon in 1985, with the American winning 3-6, 6-2, 6-4. Six of the 12 encounters between Graf and Shriver came at Grand Slams, and the former won five of those.

The two never locked horns in any final but faced each another in six semifinals. Their last meeting came in the second round of the Virginia Slims of Philadelphia in 1993, which Steffi Graf won 6-1, 6-3. She went on to reach the final of the tournament before being beaten 6-3, 6-3 by Conchita Martinez.