When you think about the greatest women's US Open tennis champions, your mind probably jumps straight to Serena Williams. Or maybe you're a fan of the classic "Ice Maiden" composure of Chris Evert. Honestly, that makes sense. They’ve both won the tournament six times in the professional era, and their dominance defined generations of fans.
But here is the thing.
The history of this tournament is way weirder and more complex than just a tally of Grand Slam trophies. If you only look at the modern era, you are missing out on a Norwegian-born powerhouse who won eight titles back when players were still wearing floor-length skirts, or the fact that for a long time, the women weren't even allowed to play on the same courts as the men.
We’re talking about a legacy that spans from 1887 to Aryna Sabalenka’s power-hitting clinics in 2024 and 2025. It’s a story of boycotts, surface changes (did you know they used to play on clay?), and teenagers who became legends before they could legally drive.
The Battle for the Record: Evert vs. Serena
Basically, if you want to understand the modern game, you have to look at the tie at the top. Chris Evert and Serena Williams are locked at six titles each.
Evert was a machine in the 70s. She won four in a row between 1975 and 1978. That is a record that hasn't been touched since. People forget that she actually won on two different surfaces at the US Open. She won on the green clay of Forest Hills and the hard courts of Flushing Meadows.
Serena, on the other hand, is the queen of longevity. She won her first in 1999 as a 17-year-old—beating Martina Hingis in the final—and her last one in 2014. That’s a 15-year gap between her first and last US Open trophy. Most players don’t even have a 15-year career, let alone stay at the top of the mountain for that long.
The Real All-Time Leader
If we’re being technical, the person with the most singles titles isn't Evert or Serena. It’s Molla Bjurstedt Mallory.
She won eight titles.
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Granted, this was between 1915 and 1926, well before the "Open Era" started in 1968. But a win is a win. She even won her last title at the age of 42. Imagine someone winning the US Open today at 42. It’s unthinkable.
The 2025 Shift: Sabalenka’s Reign
Flash forward to 2025. The landscape has changed. We aren't seeing the same kind of decade-long dominance we used to get from Steffi Graf or Martina Navratilova.
Except, maybe, for Aryna Sabalenka.
After a heartbreaking loss to Coco Gauff in the 2023 final, Sabalenka came back with a vengeance. She took down Jessica Pegula in 2024 and then defended her crown in 2025 by beating Amanda Anisimova. Winning back-to-back US Opens is notoriously hard. The last person to do it before her was Serena back in 2012-2014.
The power in the women's game right now is just different.
Sabalenka’s average forehand speed is often faster than most of the guys on the men’s tour. It’s brutal. It’s efficient. And it’s why she’s currently the woman to beat in New York.
Why 1973 Changed Everything
Money talks.
It’s easy to take equal prize money for granted now. In 2025, the winner took home a massive $5 million. But in the early 70s, the pay gap was insulting.
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Billie Jean King, who is basically the soul of the US Open, threatened to boycott the 1973 tournament if the women weren't paid the same as the men. She actually got a deodorant company (Ban Deodorant) to bridge the gap and sponsor the prize pool. Because of her, the US Open became the first Grand Slam to offer equal pay.
Think about that. 1973.
Wimbledon didn't catch up until 2007. The US Open was literally decades ahead of the curve because of one woman's refusal to play for less.
The Most Surprising Winners
Not every champion is a household name before they lift the trophy. Sometimes, New York creates a miracle.
- Emma Raducanu (2021): This remains the craziest story in tennis history. She was a qualifier. She had to win three matches just to get into the main draw. Then she won seven more without dropping a single set. She went from being an unknown teenager to a global superstar in 21 days.
- Kim Clijsters (2009): She had retired. She had a baby. She came back on a wildcard. Nobody expected her to win, but she tore through the draw and became the first mother to win a Grand Slam in the Open Era since Margaret Court in 1973.
- Tracy Austin (1979): At 16 years and 8 months, she is still the youngest women's US Open tennis champion ever. She beat Evert in the final, ending Evert’s 31-match winning streak at the tournament.
Surface Tension: Clay to Hard Court
You sort of assume the US Open has always been played on those iconic blue hard courts. Nope.
From 1887 to 1974, it was played on grass. Then, for a weird three-year stint from 1975 to 1977, they switched to Har-Tru (green clay). Finally, in 1978, they moved to the hard courts at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
This matters because it changed who could win. Grass favors the serve-and-volleyers like Martina Navratilova. Clay favors the grinders like Chris Evert. The move to hard courts created a "neutral" ground that paved the way for the power-baseline game we see today from players like Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Records
People often argue about who is "the best" based on title counts, but you have to look at the context.
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Margaret Court has 24 Grand Slam titles total, but only 5 of them are US Opens. Steffi Graf has 5 US Opens, but she achieved a "Golden Slam" in 1988 (winning all four majors and Olympic Gold in one year). Navratilova "only" won four US Open singles titles, but if you count her doubles and mixed doubles wins, she has a mind-blowing 16 trophies from New York alone.
It’s not just about the singles bracket.
Success at Flushing Meadows is about surviving the humidity, the late-night matches that end at 2:00 AM, and the loudest, rowdiest crowd in sports. If you can’t handle the noise of the planes flying over Arthur Ashe Stadium, you won't survive the first week.
Actionable Insights for Tennis Fans
If you're following the trajectory of these champions, here is how to actually use this knowledge:
Watch the "Qualies"
Don't just tune in for the finals. Since Emma Raducanu’s 2021 win, the depth in the women's game is so high that a future champion is often hiding in the qualifying rounds. In 2026, keep an eye on the teenagers ranked between 100 and 200.
Surface Matters
When betting or predicting winners, look at "Hard Court Elo" ratings. Players like Iga Swiatek dominate on clay (French Open), but the US Open's faster surface gives a massive advantage to "flat" hitters.
The Night Session Factor
The US Open is famous for its night matches. Some champions, like Serena, thrived under the lights. Others struggle with the shift in temperature and ball speed. Always check a player's historical record in night sessions before assuming a "top seed" will win.
Follow the Money
The prize money evolution continues. With the 2025 champion hitting the $5 million mark, the pressure to perform is higher than ever. This financial weight often leads to more "upsets" in the early rounds as lower-ranked players fight for life-changing paychecks.
The list of women's US Open tennis champions isn't just a list of names. It’s a map of how the sport evolved from a social club event to a multi-billion dollar global powerhouse. Whether it’s the grace of Althea Gibson breaking the color barrier in 1957 or the raw power of the modern era, New York remains the ultimate testing ground.