Steffi Graf in three-set matches to claim her seventh title there in eight years. Monica Seles beat Graf in three sets in the final of the Australian Open 4–6, 6–3, 6–2. This cemented Seles as the dominant No. 1 player in the world, having won five of the previous six, seven of the previous nine, and eight of the previous 12 major singles titles. In that timespan of 12 majors, Graf had won twice (1991 and 1992 Wimbledon) in comparison. During a quarterfinal match between Seles and Magdalena Maleeva in Hamburg, Seles was stabbed between the shoulder blades by a mentally ill
1996 Wimbledon Championships – Women's Singles injury. She was replaced in the draw by the highest-ranked non-seeded player Karina Habšudová, who became the #17 seed. 1996 Wimbledon Championships – Women's Singles Steffi Graf was the defending champion, and successfully defended her title, defeating Arantxa Sánchez Vicario in the final, 6–3, 7–5 to win the Ladies' Singles tennis title at the 1996 Wimbledon Championships, giving Graf the seventh Wimbledon title of her career. It was the second consecutive major final between the two women, with Graf also winning the French Open crown a month earlier. With this victory, Graf captured her seventh and final Wimbledon crown, while