The 9 American women to win US Open title in Open Era – ft. Coco Gauff, Serena Williams

Oli Dickson Jefford 23 Aug 2024 2:23 PM

Coco Gauff and Serena Williams lifting the US Open women's singles trophy

Coco Gauff and Serena Williams are two of the nine US women to win their home major.

The United States has produced some of the greatest tennis players of all time, and many of them have lifted the title at their home major: the US Open.

Ahead of this year’s tournament at Flushing Meadows, we look back at the nine American women who have lifted the title in the Open Era.

Billie Jean King – 1971-72, 1974

The first US champion of the Open Era was King, who won three titles in the professional age – having previously won the final amateur event in 1967.

After losing the 1968 final, King regained her crown by beating close friend and compatriot Rosie Casals in the 1971 final.

King then defeated Kerry Melville to successfully defend her title in 1972, before winning a fourth and final title at the tournament with victory over Evonne Goolagong in 1974.

Chris Evert – 1975-78, 1980, 1982

With six titles to her name, tennis icon Evert is the joint-record holder for the most US Open women’s singles titles won in the Open Era.

The former world No 1 won her first four titles consecutively, beating Goolagong in the 1975 and 1976 finals, and then defeating Wendy Turnbull in 1977 and Pam Shriver in 1978.

Evert recaptured her title in 1980 by beating Hana Mandlikova and then downed the Czech again two years later for her sixth and final victory.

Tracy Austin – 1979, 1981

No one has ever won the US Open title at a younger age than Austin, who was only 16 and 18 when she won her two Grand Slam singles titles in New York.

The 1979 final saw Austin snap Evert’s stranglehold over the tournament, defeating her idol and rival in straight sets in the final.

Two years later, she came from a set down to defeat Martina Navratilova to make it two titles in the space of three years.

Martina Navratilova – 1983-84, 1986-87

After losing to Austin in 1981, Navratilova finally completed the career Grand Slam with victory over great rival Evert in the 1983 final.

The Czech-born star successfully defended her crown in 1984, once again beating Evert in the final.

Navratilova later regained her crown by beating Helena Sukova in the 1986 final, and the following year downed Steffi Graf for her fourth and last title at the tournament.

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Lindsay Davenport – 1998

Davenport was a three-time Grand Slam singles champion and won the first of those majors in front of a home crowd in New York.

The former world No 1 defeated reigning champion Martina Hingis to lift her sole title at Flushing Meadows.

Serena Williams – 1999, 2002, 2008, 2012-14

Matching Evert with six victories, some of Serena’s greatest triumphs came at the US Open.

She was just 17 when she beat Hingis for the title in 1999, and then defeated her older sister Venus to win her second title in 2002 – part of the first ‘Serena Slam’.

Serena recaptured the crown with victory over Jelena Jankovic in 2008, before three straight triumphs from 2012-14 – defeating Victoria Azarenka in the first two finals, and Caroline Wozniacki a decade ago.

Venus Williams – 2000-01

After making her first final as a 17-year-old in 1997, Venus would go on to seal back-to-back triumphs at her home Grand Slam event at the beginning of the new century.

Venus defeated Davenport to win the Wimbledon title earlier in the summer, she again prevailed against her compatriot for her second Grand Slam singles title at Flushing Meadows.

The following year, she then downed Serena in what was the first of nine Grand Slam finals between the two.