Jun 24, 1996 CE
Tournament Begins
The 1996 Wimbledon Championships commenced at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, with first-round matches in both the men's and women's singles draws.
Chronological Storyline (7 Milestones)
Jun 26, 1996 CE
Tim Henman Ball Girl Incident
British player Tim Henman, frustrated during his first-round doubles match, struck a ball in anger that accidentally hit a ball girl. Henman apologized and was later fined, but the incident became one of the tournament's most talked-about moments.
Jul 3, 1996 CE
Krajicek Upsets Sampras
Unseeded Richard Krajicek defeated three-time defending champion Pete Sampras in the quarterfinals in straight sets, ending Sampras's 25-match Wimbledon winning streak and his bid for a fourth consecutive title.
Jul 4, 1996 CE
Men's Semifinals Set
Richard Krajicek defeated Jason Stoltenberg and MaliVai Washington defeated Todd Martin in the men's semifinals, setting up an unexpected final between two players neither of whom had previously reached a Grand Slam final.
Jul 5, 1996 CE
Women's Semifinals
Steffi Graf and Arantxa Sánchez Vicario advanced to the women's singles final, setting up a rematch of the previous year's Wimbledon final between the two rivals.
Jul 6, 1996 CE
Graf Wins Women's Final
Steffi Graf defeated Arantxa Sánchez Vicario 6-3, 7-5 to win the women's singles title, claiming her seventh Wimbledon championship and 20th Grand Slam singles title overall.
Jul 7, 1996 CE
Krajicek Wins Men's Final
Richard Krajicek defeated MaliVai Washington 6-3, 6-4, 6-3 to win the men's singles title, becoming the first Dutchman to win Wimbledon and the only unseeded male player to claim the title in the Open Era at that time.