By Chris Oddo

(October 19, 2012) -- Today on Flashback Friday we'll take a trip down memory lane, picking out a few choice WTA Championships moments along the way. In the 42-year history of the event--which has moved from Florida to L.A. to New York to Oakland to New York, then Munich to L.A. to Madrid to Doha and finally stopping it's current site in Istanbul--there have been quite a few classic moments. Here's a few of our favorites:

1. Elena Dementieva's impromptu retirement announcement in 2010

It wasn't the best of news to hear that the 29-year old was going to leave tennis without winning that Grand Slam title that we all wanted for her, but it turned into a spontaneous love-fest, one that we'll always remember.



2. Sabatini defeats Pam Shriver in the 1988 final in New York

After losing the final to Graf in '87, Gabriela Sabatini returns to take the title over Pam Shriver. Remarkably, Shriver defeated Chris Evert and World No. 1 Graf to reach the final in what many called her best performance since her 1978 U.S. Open final 10 years earlier.



3. Seles becomes the youngest champion to ever win the title

At age 16, Seles takes out Steffi Graf in the first women's match to go five sets in 89 years. Seles would go on to run the table in New York for a while, defeating Martina Navratilova in the next two finals to make it a hat-trick.



4. Chris Evert falls short against rival Evonne Goolagong in three sets in 1976

We dip into the archives to bring you some vintage Chris Evert from 1976. Look it's the ice maiden herself! So smooth, so elegant, so shrewd! But Goolagang had her number on this day, notching her second WTA Championship title, 6-3, 5-7, 6-3. (In the first five years that the event was held, Evert won three titles and Goolagong won the other two.



5. Wozniacki braves the worst cramps ever to finish off Zvonareva in Doha

No words can match what you are about to see when you push play on this video. Apparently the heat in Doha can do funny things to a player. If this tennis thing doesn't work out for Wozniacki she definitely has a future in horror movies.



6. Sharapova takes out wounded Williams in thrilling final, 2004

Serena Williams suffered from an abdomen strain in the final set, but she still made Maria Sharapova squeamish until the bitter end. With the 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 victory, Sharapova became the first Russian to win the WTA Championships.