The US Open has been an integral part of tennis’s rich history. The tournament began way back in 1887 and is the second oldest of the four Grand Slams in tennis we know today (Wimbledon being the oldest).
However, not until 1968 was the tournament opened for professional players. In 1968, the Open Era in tennis began and players from around the world, whether professional or amateur, could take part in all the Majors of the sport.
Since then, the US Open, which takes place at Flushing Meadows in New York City, has been organised every year and has seen many names become legends of tennis in their own right. In this article, we will be discussing the top 10 most successful women in US Open history. Before we move forward, it is important to note that this list only includes women who have won the Women’s Singles title at Flushing Meadows in the Open Era. Also, the rankings of players tied at the same number of Grand Slams have been decided based on who won them earlier, thereby placing them at a higher rank. So without further ado, let’s dive straight into the discussion.
Here are the top 10 women with the most US Open titles in history:
Venus Williams (2 titles)
The list began with an American and it will end with an American too, with Venus Williams occupying the tenth and the last spot in this list of all-time female tennis greats. The 7-time singles Majors winner, Venus claimed the top prize twice in the singles category at the US Open, first in 2000 and the other in the following year, that is 2001.
Tracy Austin (2 titles)
The eighth position on this list is occupied by another American tennis player Tracy Austin. To date, Austin is the youngest woman ever to claim the singles title at the US Open, becoming champion in 1979 when she was just 16 years old. Austin’s second and last Major title victory came here only two years later in 1981.
Monica Seles (2 titles)
The Yugoslavian- American Monica Seles occupies the 8th position in the list of most successful women in the history of the US Open. Of her 9 Grand Slam titles, eight came when she was still representing her country of birth, Yugoslavia. Those 8 Majors including 2 won at the Flushing Meadows in consecutive years 1991-92.
Billie Jean King (3 titles)
Another lady on the list who claimed a singles title at the US Open in the pre-Open Era, Billie Jean King won a total of 4 singles Majors here. The American claimed her first singles title at Flushing Meadows in 1967, the last edition of the tournament before it open its gates for professional players too. Her other three wins here came in 1971, 72 and 74.
Kim Clijsters (3 titles)
The lady who joins the three-way tie at 3 singles Majors at US Open is the former World No.1 player from Germany, Kim Clijsters. Out of the 4 Grand Slams won by Klijsters in the singles category, three of them came at the Flushing Meadows. The Belgian claimed the top prize here in 2005, 09 and 10.
Margaret Court (3 titles)
Joining this list of greats at fifth position is the player with most singles Majors in the history of the sport at 24 (Amateur Era and Open Era combined), Margaret Court. Though the legendary Australian claimed five singles Grand Slams at the US Open, two of them came in the Amateur Era, and that’s why she is at a lower position in our list. Her three title wins in New York City post 1968 came in 1969, 70 and 73.
Martina Navratilova (4 titles)
The next position in this list is occupied by another tennis great from America, Martina Navratilova. Originally from erstwhile Czechoslovakia, Navratilova changed her nationality to American in 1975. With 59 Grand Slam titles (18 in the singles category and a whopping 31 in doubles), the American is the most successful player ever in Open Era, men or women.
Steffi Graf (5 titles)
The legendary German Steffi Graf occupies the third position on this list. The second most women’s singles Grand Slam winner in the Open Era with 22 titles to her name, 5 of those came at the Flushing Meadows. In a period of fewer than 10 years, Graf won all her five Majors here, with her wins coming in 1988, 89, 93, 95 and 96.
Chris Evert (6 titles)
The most successful women’s singles player in the history of the US Open since the Open Era began in 1968 is the local lady, Chris Evert. The American won six single Majors at Flushing Meadows, four of which astonishingly came consecutively from 1975-78. The other two times Evert became women’s singles champion at the US Open were in 1980 and 1982.
In the space of 5 years, Navratilova captured four singles Majors at Flushing Meadows, with her wins coming in 1983, 84, 86 and 87.
Serena Williams (6 titles)
The joint most successful women’s singles player at the US Open is another American with the most Grand Slams in the Open Era, Serena Williams. The recently retired, one of the all-time greats of tennis dominated the tennis arena all over the world for more than 2 decades, especially at her home turf. Though her first three singles titles at US Open came in considerable gaps (1999, 2002 and 2008), her last three singles Majors here were in 2012, 13 and 14.
The two other honorable mentions that don’t make it to the list despite winning 2 titles at the Flushing Meadows are Belgian Justin Henine (2003, 2007) and Japanese sensation Naomi Osaka (2018, 2020).
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