“It’s not embarrassing, it’s just hard for myself”: When Steffi Graf’s Olympic doubles partner reacted to losing to her within an hour
Claudia Kohde-Kilsch, a fellow German compatriot and Olympic doubles partner of Steffi Graf, once described her experience of being soundly defeated 0-6, 0-6 by Graf in San Diego in 1989. The match, which Graf won in under an hour, did not leave Kohde-Kilsch feeling embarrassed.
The Great American Bank Classic witnessed a dominant performance from the then 20-year-old Steffi Graf. She swiftly dispatched Rene Simpson Collins and Helen Nagelsen with scores of 6-0, 6-0, and 6-1, 6-1, respectively, advancing to the quarterfinals. In the quarterfinals, Graf continued her winning streak, defeating Kohde-Kilsch 6-0, 6-0 in a mere 42 minutes to secure her place in the semifinals.Speaking after the match, Kohde-Kilsch said that she was not embarrassed to have suffered such a crushing defeat as it was not possible for her to win, given the manner in which Graf played.
“It’s not embarrassing. People who saw the match know how unbelievably she played. It’s just hard for myself. It is not possible,” the then-25-year-old said.
“I had a good feeling about the match. I had two good matches (in the tournament). I had practiced very well. It’s not that I am off or something. I tried until the last ball. I really never thought I would lose 6-love, 6-love. But she played without any mistakes and so powerful,” she added.
Graf also reflected on the match, saying that she expected a tougher challenge.
“She is a very good serve-and-volley player and also is someone who can play from the back,” the German said. “She has been in the top 10 for a long time. She always has had a very good ranking. I expected a much more difficult match.”
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When informed about how quickly the match ended, Graf’s responded by saying:
“Was it fast again? Oh, no.”
After beating Claudia Kohde-Kilsch, Graf registered a comprehensive 6-1, 6-2 win over another compatriot, Bettina Bunge, to reach the final, where she beat ZIna Garrison 6-4, 7-5.
Steffi Graf and Claudia Kohde-Kilsch won the women’s doubles bronze at the 1988 Seoul Olympics
Steffi Graf during an exhibition match at Cluj-Napoca, Romania in 2024 (Image via Getty)
Steffi Graf during an exhibition match at Cluj-Napoca, Romania in 2024 (Image via Getty)
Steffi Graf and Claudia Kohde-Kilsch represented West Germany in the women’s doubles tournament at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, seeded second. The pair defeated the Canadian duo of Carling Bassett-Seguso and Jill Hetherington to reach the semifinals and assure themselves of a medal.
The Germans lost the game 5-7, 3-6 to eventual silver medalists Jana Novotna and Helena Sukova (Kohde-Kilsch’s partner in her Grand Slam doubles triumphs), and had to settle for the bronze medal.Graf and Kohde-Kilsch locked horns 14 times, with the former leading 12-2 in their head-to-head. Their last encounter came in the third round of Wimbledon 1990, with the 22-time Grand Slam champion winning 6-0, 6-4.
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