The 9 most-played Grand Slam women’s singles final rivalries: ft Navratilova-Evert, Venus-Serena
Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert met in 14 Grand Slam singles finals across their career – the most such meetings between any women in the Open Era
Here, we explore Navratilova and Evert’s rivalry alongside the other most-played Grand Slam women’s singles final head-to-heads.
=7) Evonne Goolagong vs Margaret Court – 4 finals
H2H: Goolagong 1-3 Court
The two most successful Australian WTA players of the Open Era, Court and Goolagong met in four Grand Slam singles finals.
Goolagong triumphed to win the first of her two Wimbledon titles in 1971, though her compatriot had the upper hand elsewhere.
Court triumphed on home turf in the 1971 and 1973 Australian Open finals and also beat former No 1 Goolagong at the 1973 US Open.
=7) Billie Jean King vs Evonne Goolagong – 4 finals
H2H: King 4-0 Goolagong
The most one-sided Grand Slam final rivalry in WTA history, tennis icon King won all four of her major singles finals against Goolagong.
King’s most successful Grand Slam tournament was Wimbledon and the US star beat the Australian in two finals, in 1972 and 1975.
She also defeated Goolagong in the 1972 French Open final and the 1974 US Open final.
=7) Serena Williams vs Maria Sharapova – 4 finals
H2H: Williams 3-1 Sharapova
Williams famously dominated her head-to-head against Sharapova and that extended to Grand Slam finals, with the American winning three of four meetings against the Russian at that stage.
The 23-time major champion famously thrashed Sharapova in the 2007 Australian Open final and also defeated her nemesis at the 2015 Australian Open and 2013 French Open.
However, Sharapova did have some success, famously stunning Williams to win Wimbledon as a 17-year-old in 2004.
6) Evonne Goolagong vs Chris Evert – 5 finals
H2H: Goolagong 2-3 Evert
Goolagong’s third and final appearance on this list, the Australian played tennis great Evert in an impressive five finals across the 1970s and early 1980s.
Eighteen-time major winner Evert holds a slight upper hand in their major final head-to-head, triumphing in finals at the US Open in 1975 and 1976, and winning the legendary 1976 Wimbledon final.
However, Goolagong won their first major final against each other at the 1974 Australian Open and their last meeting at SW19 in 1980.
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=4) Steffi Graf vs Monica Seles – 6 finals
H2H: Graf 3-3 Seles
Graf and Seles’ rivalry tragically never kicked on as much as it should have, but the tennis legends still contested six Grand Slam finals against each other.
It was Seles who held the upper hand early on, winning three of their first four meetings at the French Open in 1990 and 1992, and the Australian Open in 2993.
But it was Graf who beat Seles in a one-sided Wimbledon final in 1992, and who prevailed when the pair met in back-to-back US Open finals in 1995 and 1996.
=4) Steffi Graf vs Martina Navartilova – 6 finals
H2H: Graf 4-2 Navratilova
Two of the greatest players in WTA history, superstars Graf and Navratilova met in six Grand Slam singles finals in the space of just three seasons.
After the German stunned Navratilova in the 1987 French Open final, the Czech-American responded with victory in Wimbledon and US Open finals later that season.
However, Graf would begin to dominate from then, and beat her older rival in the 1988 and 1989 Wimbledon finals, alongside beating Navratilova at Flushing Meadows in 1989.
3) Steffi Graf vs Arantxa Sanchez Vicario – 7 finals
H2H: Graf 5-2 Sanchez Vicario
Graf was close to untouchable at points during the early and mid-1990s, though Sanchez Vicario was one of the few capable of pushing the 22-time major champion.
The German won five of their Grand Slam final meetings, defeating Sanchez Vicario at the 1994 Australian Open, and then at both the French Open and Wimbledon in 1995 and 1996.
But Sanchez Vicario did find some success, beating Graf for her first major at the 1989 French Open, and then triumphing in the final of the 1994 US Open.
2) Serena Williams vs Venus Williams – 9 finals
H2H: Serena 7-2 Venus
Few players tested Serena as much as her older sister Venus, and only one pairing in WTA history have met in more major finals than the Williamses.
Serena won seven of their nine Grand Slam finals, most notably winning four straight finals from the 2002 French Open to the 2003 Australian Open – achieving her first ‘Serena Slam’.
The younger of the two sisters also triumphed in Wimbledon finals in 2003 and 2009 and beat her older sister for her historic 23rd Slam at the 2017 Australian Open.
Venus’ two victories came in the 2001 US Open final – their first such meeting – and at Wimbledon in 2008.
1) Martina Navratilova vs Chris Evert – 14 finals
H2H: Navratilova 10-4 Evert
Navratilova and Evert’s 80 career meetings is an all-time Open Era record across both the men’s and women’s games, so it comes as no surprise that their 14 major finals against each other is also a record.
The younger of the two, Navratilova won 10 of their 14 finals, notably winning all six Wimbledon finals the pair contested in 1978, 1979, 1982, 1984, and 1985.
She also triumphed in US Open final meetings in 1983 and 1984, Australian Open clashes in 1981 and 1985, and the 1984 French Open final.
However, Evert won three of the four French Open finals they met in – in 1975, 1985, and 1986 – and also the 1982 Australian Open final.
Read Next: The 5 women with the most Grand Slam finals played – Serena Williams 2nd, Chris Evert with 34
