New York City in late August is a pressure cooker. It’s loud, it’s humid, and the lights at Arthur Ashe Stadium are so bright they feel like they’re interrogating you. For the US Open tennis female champions, winning here isn’t just about hitting a yellow ball; it's about not cracking when 23,000 people are screaming and the 7 train is rattling in the distance.
Honestly, the history of this tournament is a bit chaotic. It’s moved from grass to clay to hard courts. It’s seen teenagers become legends overnight and GOATs play their final points under the stars. People love to talk about the "Big Three" on the men’s side, but the women’s draw has consistently been where the real drama—and the most interesting variety of champions—lives.
Why Aryna Sabalenka is Rewriting the Narrative
For a long time, we were living in an era of "one-and-done" champions. You’d see a player win a major and then basically vanish from the second week of a draw for the next three years. But Aryna Sabalenka just changed that vibe.
In September 2025, she did something incredibly difficult: she defended her title. By beating Amanda Anisimova 6-3, 7-6 in the 2025 final, Sabalenka became the first woman to win back-to-back US Open titles since Serena Williams did it over a decade ago (2012-2014).
It wasn’t a cakewalk. Anisimova actually had a winning record against her going into that match. But Sabalenka’s 2025 run was a masterclass in "new" Sabalenka. She wasn't just blasting the ball into the stands; she was playing smarter. She finished that tournament with her 100th Grand Slam match win. That’s a massive milestone. It puts her in a very exclusive club of players who have truly figured out the hard-court puzzle.
The Queen of Queens: Serena and Steffi
If you’re looking at the history of US Open tennis female champions, you have to start with the numbers that feel fake but aren’t.
Chris Evert and Serena Williams are tied at the top of the Open Era leaderboard with six titles each. Serena’s first one in 1999 was a "where were you" moment. She was 17, beads in her hair, beating Martina Hingis in the final. Her last final in 2019 was a heartbreaker against Bianca Andreescu, but that 20-year span of dominance is just ridiculous.
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Then there’s Steffi Graf. People forget how clinical she was.
Steffi won five titles in New York. In 1988, she beat Gabriela Sabatini to complete the Golden Slam—all four majors and an Olympic gold in one year. Nobody else has done it. Not Serena, not Federer, not Djokovic. Just Steffi.
The Most Titles (Open Era)
- Chris Evert: 6
- Serena Williams: 6
- Steffi Graf: 5
- Martina Navratilova: 4
- Kim Clijsters: 3
Kim Clijsters has one of the coolest stories, though. She won in 2005, retired to have a baby, came back as an unranked wildcard in 2009, and won the whole thing again. She’s the ultimate "mom power" example in sports.
The 1973 Breakthrough: It Was Never Just About Tennis
We take equal prize money for granted now, but it started in Queens.
In 1972, Billie Jean King won the title and got paid $10,000. The men’s winner, Ilie Năstase, got $25,000. Billie Jean basically said, "Fix this, or I'm not coming back."
The US Open listened.
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In 1973, it became the first Grand Slam to offer equal checks to both winners. Margaret Court won that year and took home $25,000, the same as John Newcombe. It took another 34 years for the other three majors to finally get on board. When you see Sabalenka or Coco Gauff holding a check for millions today, it’s because Billie Jean King stood her ground in a stuffy office in the early 70s.
The "New Gen" and the 2021 Fever Dream
The 2021 tournament was... weird. In a good way.
We ended up with a final between two teenagers: Emma Raducanu and Leylah Fernandez. Raducanu had to play three rounds of qualifying just to get into the main draw. She won ten matches in a row without dropping a single set.
That sort of thing just doesn't happen.
It was a reminder that the US Open surface (Laykold) is a great equalizer. It’s fast, but it rewards variety. We’ve seen a lot of first-time winners lately. Iga Swiatek proved she wasn’t just a "clay-court specialist" by grinding out a title here in 2022. Then Coco Gauff sent the entire country into a frenzy in 2023 by coming back from a set down to beat Sabalenka.
What Most People Get Wrong About Winning in New York
There's a myth that you need to be a power hitter to be one of the US Open tennis female champions.
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Sure, it helps. Sabalenka and Serena prove that. But look at Justine Henin or Martina Hingis. They won with touch, lobs, and backhands that looked like art. The real secret to winning the US Open is handling the noise.
Most tournaments are quiet. You can hear a bird chirp. In New York, there are planes flying overhead from LaGuardia every five minutes. There’s a guy in the third row eating a $20 lobster roll and shouting at his friend. If you can’t tune that out, you’re toast.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Players
If you’re following the tour or trying to understand why certain players thrive here, keep these things in mind:
- Watch the Night Sessions: This is where the legends are made. The court plays slightly slower at night because the sun isn't baking the acrylic, which often leads to longer, more physical rallies.
- The Tiebreak Factor: The US Open was the first to use a tiebreak in the final set. While the slams have now standardized to a 10-point tiebreak at 6-6 in the third, the "sudden death" pressure started here.
- Hard Court Preparation: Most champions today play a heavy summer schedule (D.C., Toronto/Montreal, Cincinnati) to get their feet used to the friction of the hard courts. If a player looks tired in Cincy, they usually won't make it to the second Saturday in New York.
To truly appreciate the lineage of winners in Flushing Meadows, you have to look past the trophies. It’s a list of women who were tough enough to handle the biggest stage in the world and loud enough to demand they be paid what they’re worth. Whether it's Sabalenka's power or Evert's ice-cold consistency, these champions are the reason the US Open is the most electric stop on the calendar.
Next Steps for Your Tennis Knowledge
Check out the official US Open archives to see the full list of winners dating back to 1887. If you're looking to watch these champions in action, the 2026 tournament begins in late August—keep an eye on the WTA rankings to see if Sabalenka can pull off a historic "three-peat" or if a new face will join the ranks of New York royalty.