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
Steffi Graf treatment. In the final, Navratilova led 6–3, 4–2 before Graf rallied to win 3–6, 7–5, 6–1 for her third Grand Slam singles title of the year. Victories at Zurich and Brighton preceded the Virginia Slims Championships, where Graf cemented her top-ranked status by beating Navratilova in the final in four sets. Graf ended 1989 with an 86–2 match record and the loss of only twelve sets. Her .977 winning percentage is the second-highest in the open era behind Navratilova. Graf defeated Mary Joe Fernández in the final of the Australian Open, which was her eighth Grand Slam singles title in