All-time Top 20 Women Players in the History of the US Open

Until 1897, only men were invited to play in the US Open. Women came on the scene of the “challenger” system which remained in place until 1911. Here the idea was that the defending champion could steam straight to the final and only had to win one match, when “challenged.”

Like the men, the women competed on a grass court until 1974, when it was temporarily played on clay until 1978. Then DecoTurf made its appearance.

Other changes began in 1915 when the tournament changed its location to Forest Hills, New York. Today it is played in Flushing Meadows in Queens, New York.

One of the earliest players of women’s tennis holds the most wins with eight in the Early Era—the Norwegian Molla Bjurstedt Mallory.

1968 saw the beginnings of the Open Era. Here Christ Evert, America’s Darling, holds the most wins with six.

Open Era No. 20 Monica Seles, Tied For Seventh Place with Two Wins

1988 welcomed Monica Seles to the sport, as well as the infamous grunting. She had joined Nick Bollettieri’s Tennis Academy two years prior.

A native of Yugoslavia, Seles became a naturalized US citizen in 1994. She boasts Nine Grand Slam titles to go along with her name. 1990 saw her become the youngest female to win the French Open singles title at age 16 to beat a dominating Steffi Graf in the final.

In 1991 up until 1993 she enjoyed the No. 1 ranking in women’s singles. Those who witnessed the on-court attack from a German spectator will never forget how the nine-inch knife was driven into her shoulder. It was horrific. And it pretty much was her demise.

Seles did come back on the tour in 1995 to achieve slight success, including a victory at the 1996 Australian Open, but she never regained the momentum she once had. The 2003 French Open was her last professional Grand Slam appearance.

Open Era No. 19 Venus Williams, Tied for Seventh with Two Wins

In February, 2002, Venus Williams became the No. 1 ranked woman’s player on the women’s tennis tour. Currently she is tied with four other women holding seven Grand Slam singles titles. Along with her sister, Serena, Williams brings sheers force and power to the game.

Her ability at the net is class. She is considered to be the present “Lady of Wimbledon” after winning five women’s singles titles. Four of her seven Grand Slam titles came in 2000 and 2001 alone.

She holds the longest winning streak at Wimbledon with 35 matches and holds three Olympic Gold medals, more than any other women’s tennis player. Since 1988 she and her sister, Serena, have competed in 23 matches, including eight Grand Slam matches. Serena presently leads with 13 victories.

Williams attacks on court with all around style, but she is most comfortable on grass. With her long reach, she has great court coverage. Williams boasts the fastest serve on the tour, including a 130mph whopper at the Zurich Open. While claiming the fastest serve in all the Grand Slams for a woman, she has out-averaged some tennis greats on the men’s tour. This includes Rafa Nadal and Roger Federer.

Early Era No. 18 Margaret O. DuPont, Tied for Sixth with Three Wins

Margaret Osborne DuPont was one of five women to win the US Championships three times. Although she never entered the Australian Open Championship, she was decorated as the fourth all-time Grand Slam winner, including singles and doubles titles with 37.

25 of these titles came at the US Open, making another all-time record. DuPont has six Grand Slam titles to her name. The 1948 women’s singles final still holds the record for number of games played at 48. She defeated her longtime doubles partner, Louis Brough Clapp.

Together she and Clapp hold the number of most women’s doubles titles at 12 for the US Championship, including a ten year consecutive winning streak from 1941-1950. Her mixed doubles victories are also impressive at nine.

DuPont held one Wimbledon singles title in 1947 and two French Open singles titles coming in as the runner up on many occasions.

Early Era No. 17 Juliette Atkinson, Tied for Sixth with Three Wins

A three-time winner at the US Championships, Juliette Atkinson was a native to New Jersey. She earned her first victory at the end of the 19th century in 1895. She took her second in 1897 and her final US Championship title in 1898. 1896 saw her as a runner-up.

On the doubles circuit, Atkinson won four women’s doubles titles and three mixed doubles titles at the US Championship.

Atkinson was considered to have a great court sense, excellent timing and extreme power for her short stature. She was no taller than five feet.

On into the turn of the century, Atkinson was collecting singles and doubles titles making her one of the most successful players in the early era of the sport.

Early Era No. 16 Mary Browne, Tied for Sixth Place with Three Wins

Mary Browne claims her stake to fame as America’s first professional women’s tennis player. She ranked No. 1 on the amateur circuit, also an excellent amateur golfer. When professional ranking began in 1921, Browne ranked within the top ten.

1912, 1913 and 1914 saw her win the US Championship women’s singles title, sweeping both doubles titles as well in these years. Her best ranking at Wimbledon was 1926 runner-up in mixed doubles. Until 1923, the French Championship was only open to French nationals. In 1926, Browne finished as runner-up.

Browne was known to be a versatile athlete, as well as determined. She accomplished much in the world of tennis and golf, having made her way to the women’s final in the US Women’s Golf Championships. In 1924 she won the doubles match at Wimbledon. At age 33, she took Wills to three sets before losing at the US Championships.

Early Era No. 15 Maureen Connolly, Tied for Sixth Place with Three Wins

Maureen Connolly was born in San Diego in 1934. She is accredited with having been the first woman to win all four Grand Slams in the same calendar year.

With a strong backhand and a load of power, Connolly took to the courts at age ten, becoming a baseline specialist. The sixteen year old won her first prestigious title at the US Championships in 1951. The following year saw her defend her title and add a Wimbledon Championship to it in women’s singles.

1953 she had the presence of mind to hire the Davis Cup captain for the Australian team, Harry Hopman. This strategic move granted her the crown to all four Grand Slam women’s singles titles that same year, having only dropped one set amongst these.

Her final tally of Grand Slam victories totaled eleven. This accomplishment made her one of America’s Sweethearts in the post-war era.

Connolly’s life was cut short from stomach cancer and she died at age 34 after a three year battle. Before her death she was a correspondent for the US and for Great Britain in some of the Grand Slam tournaments.

Open Era No. 14 Serena Williams, Tied for Sixth Place with Three Wins

One of the top players on the women’s tour in all of history, Serena Williams is a force to be reckoned with. While she and her sister, Venus, could have blown the top off the statistics over the past years, they settled into other interests alongside the sport of tennis.

Having said that, to date Serena holds two US Open women’s singles titles, still engaged in the game. Coming onto the scene after her older sister, Serena has become one of the favorite players to watch on either side of the tour.

July 3, 2010 set her No. 6 on the list of all-time great champions. There are not many females who can play in as few tournaments as Serena and still hope to hold this recognition.

Serena is the reigning champion at the Australian Open in both singles and doubles. With 13 Grand Slam singles titles to her credit, she is currently the most decorated active player combing her titles in singles and doubles. To add to her trophies, she has two Olympic gold medals in doubles.

Serena Williams has won more prize money than any other woman athlete in history.

It is good to see Serena amongst the top 20 all-time US Open Champions, as she and her sister have upped the game of women’s tennis to a new level and given it a face lift and injection that was needed.

Early Era No. 13 Elisabeth Moore, Tied for Fifth Place with Four Wins

Elisabeth Moore was a famous women’s tennis player from Florida. Between women’s singles, women’s doubles and mixed doubles, Moore succeeded in winning eight US Championship titles in late 19th century and early 20th century.

She was the women’s singles US Championship winner four times, along with seven other tennis greats. In 1892 Moore competed in the US Championship finals but was defeated at age 16 by Mabel Cahill. 1896 was more kind to her as she took the title in first five-set match women had played in.

Moore was a fierce competitor. She was one of the premier players of her time in the late 1800s in all areas, women’s singles, women’s and mixed doubles.

Born in 1876, Moore was inducted into the International Hall of Fame in 1971.

Early Era, No. 12 Pauline Betz, Tied for Fifth Place with Four Wins

The winner of five Grand Slam titles and three-time runner up, Pauline Betz was considered one of the best players to hit the court in her time, only behind Helen Moody. Born in Dayton, Ohio, she was a four-time winner at the US Championships, taking her first victory in 1942.

By 1946 she was the World No. 1 women’s player on the tour. This was the year Betz was crowned with the Wimbledon’s title in both women’s singles and mixed doubles.

Beginning the sport at age nine, Betz was considered a likable American girl and an aggressive player. With a mother who worked as a gym teacher in an L.A. school, Betz was on the court from early hours nearly every day.

Her disposition was cool and confident and eager to win. Her backhand was so powerful (though inconsistent) that it made her other strokes look anemic. She loved the role of being a famous tennis star and played it up on the Hollywood scene.

Early Era No. 11 Maria Bueno, Tied For Fifth Place with Four Wins

Brazilian player Maria Bueno achieved victory in seven Grand Slam singles matches and 12 doubles matches. At age 14 Maria won the national women’s title. 1n 1958 Bueno joined the international circuit, winning Wimbledon and the US Championships in 1959. This earned her the No. 1 spot in women’s tennis at the year’s end and made her the first foreigner to win both titles in the same calendar year. She would go on to win three more US Open Championships in women’s singles.

Bueno finished no lower than the quarter-finals in the first 26 matches she played, until she suffered an arm injury.

1960 saw her succeed in grabbing all four women’s doubles titles in the Grand Slam Championships.

With a career lasting only ten years, Bueno’s achievements were quite impressive. She won nearly 590 titles on the women’s tennis circuit, including singles and doubles titles.

Quite impressively, Maria Bueno debuted as a commentator for the US Open in 2006 on Brazilian television.

Early Era No. 10 Helen Hull Jacobs, Tied for Fifth with Four Wins

Helen Hull Jacobs enjoyed a successful career as a No. 1 tennis player in the early 20th century. Her overhead smash, dominant serve and stunning backhand led to a winning reputation. Jacobs earned five Grand Slam titles and was runner-up to eleven more.

Born in Arizona, Jacobs encountered a strong rivalry with co-tennis star Helen Moody. Winning most of the matches played between the two, Moody was booed at the US Championships in 1933 for withdrawing from the final complaining of back injury. This denied Jacobs of a proper victory. That year Jacobs was named “Athlete of the Year”.

Jacobs won the US Championship title three other times and Wimbledon in 1936. Like many of the players on the pro tour, Jacobs enjoyed playing in both the women’s and mixed doubles, winning many titles.

Jacobs was also famed for her brevity in breaking women’s tradition in tennis for donning the first pair of shorts in a tennis match. Jacobs was one of the only women to achieve the rank of commander in the Navy Intelligence in WWII.

Even while playing tennis, Jacobs became a writer and authored many books, including a biography that was published in 1936.

Early Era No. 9 Hazel Hotchkiss, Tied for Fifth Place with Four Wins

In 1909 the world of women’s tennis welcomed Hazel Hotchkiss. That year she was victorious in every event she entered: women’s singles, women’s doubles and mixed doubles. She followed this format for the next two years.

Born in California, Hotchkiss is considered to have dominated women’s tennis until WWI. At age 68, Hotchkiss won the last of her 45 singles titles. In 1948 she led the US team for the Lawn Tennis Association to victory over Great Britain as their captain, a role she had held since 1923. This is the year she began the Wightman Cup, a battle in tennis each year against Great Britain until it’s folding in 1989.

Hotchkiss was known as “Lady Tennis” for her lifetime achievements and involvement in tennis. It was her childhood illness that brought her into the sport, per her doctor’s recommendation she make an effort to strengthen her stamina.

She was known for her great movement and volleying style tennis. Her success was great in the early tennis era. Nearly calling it quits when she married and began having children, through the encouragement of her father, Hotchkiss went on to take another US Championships title in 1919 at age 32.

From then on, she would play only doubles.

Early Era No. 8 Alice Marble, Tied for Fifth Place with Four Wins

Born in California and spending most of her early years in San Francisco, Alice Marble was considered a good athlete and a tomboy. Mastering the game of tennis early on, Marble won the women’s singles title in 1936, 1938-1940, giving her four US Open victories.

She would win one more Grand Slam title in 1939 at Wimbledon, ranked No. 1 at the time. She also had success in doubles throughout her tennis career. She did not officially turn pro until 1940, when she was introduced to Eleanor Tennant, taking her on as coach. Tennant would influence Marble greatly and aid her in doing exhibition matches which earned them both a lot of money.

An interesting fact: Marble had a brief run as an editor for DC Comics and was involved in the creation of Wonder Woman. Marble also played a key role in seeing that Althea Gibson was allowed to play in the US Open tournament. Marble succeeded with her bid, and in 1950 Gibson became the first Afro-American player to play in a pro event.

Marble died from anemia in 1990.

Open Era No. 7 Billie Jean King, Tied for Fifth Place with Four Wins

Winning 12 Grand Slam singles titles, Billie Jean King took four of those at the US Open. She also had great success in women’s doubles with 16 Grand Slam titles, and mixed doubles as well with 11.

The native Californian’s first Grand Slam victory came in 1967 at the French Open. King went on to win Wimbledon and The US Open respectively, dominating the second half of the season.

Having arrived onto the pro tennis scene at age 15 in 1959 coached by former pro Alice Marble, King was renowned for her speed and aggressive style, not afraid to rush the net. Unlike most women players on the tour at that time, King played on public courts and learned her trade that way. She was considered to have an overwhelming personality, channeling all of it into victory.

King earned international fame after winning the women’s doubles title at Wimbledon in 1961. King played in seven Grand Slam singles finals from 1971 to 1975, winning every one. Only one of her Grand Slam titles came on a surface other than grass (clay).

She is honored to be one of five women have a career Grand Slam, winning at least each of the four tournaments once. She is credited with trying to liberate women’s tennis and defeating Bobby Riggs in a match back in 1973.

Open Era No. 6 Martina Navratilova, Tied for Fifth Place with Four Wins

Martina Navratilova scaled the pro ranks of women’s tennis in 1975. Her stepfather was her coach in the Czech Republic.

There was a major controversy at the start of her professional career in which Navratilova was stripped from her Czech citizenship and sought asylum in the US. The Czech government disapproved of the impact tennis and America was having on her life and wanted her to study, making tennis a lesser priority. In 1981 Navratilova became a US citizen, but she regained her standing in the Czech Republic in 2008.

1978 saw her win her first Grand Slam title at Wimbledon defeating Chris Evert. Navratilova, a left-handed player, coined the slice-forehand and dominated women’s tennis along with Billie Jean King for years in all facets of the competition: women’s singles, women’s doubles and mixed doubles. Her power could be seen on all surfaces where she took Grand Slam titles, one of only three women to do so. In all she won the US Open four times.

Navratilova continued to compete in doubles until 2006, winning 177 titles in her doubles career, and 167 titles in her singles career, 19 of these in Grand Slam Tournaments. For an impressive 21 consecutive years she won at least one tour title each year stretching her victories into three decades.

Martina Navratilova is considered the best player in women’s tennis by many professionals and experts in the pro tennis industry.

Early Era No. 5 Margaret Smith Court, Tied for Fourth with Five Wins

Australian Margaret Smith Court became the second woman in history to secure titles in all four Grand Slam tournaments in a calendar year in 1970 after retiring temporarily for two years. She also won more titles—24 to be exact—than any other woman player on the pro tour after earning her first in 1960. She would earn five US Championships over her career.

Court holds an amazing record of having won every possible title, women’s singles, mixed doubles and women’s doubles, in all four Grand Slams in a calendar year, giving her the far reaching “Boxed-set” title. Only one of three players to ever achieve this, she is the only one to manage it twice—an extraordinary feat.

At age 55 former world No. 1 male pro Bobby Riggs was engaged in a match with Court in 1973 and defeated her easily. It was said she thought the match was a given win for her and as a result did not take it seriously.

She was on and off the court over the course of her marriage and child bearing years. Margaret Smith Court made her last Grand Slam final appearance in 1975 and retired after giving birth to her fourth child in 1977.

Open Era No. 3 Chris Evert, Third Place with Six Wins

Chris Evert came onto the professional tennis scene in 1969 and was America’s darling for years. With 157 winning titles in her crown, Evert has been named the third most successful women’s tennis player in the 20th century by tennis author Steve Flink. She succeeded to win at the US Open six times.

With a professional tennis coach for a father, Chris first drew a racquet at age five. By sixteen Evert was in her first Grand Slam tournament at the 1971 US Open. Evert defeated some of the biggest names in women’s tennis on her way to the semi-final where she fell to the world great, Billie Jean King.

1n 1973 she took her first Grand Slam title at the French Open and succeeded to take the prize at Wimbledon the following month. A couple of years later one of the greatest rivalries formed when Martina Navratilova made her way up the ranks.

Evert dominated on every surface, but her greatest success was on clay at the French Open, earning seven titles there.

In her career, Evert never went out of a Grand Slam before the third round. She was titled the “Ice Maiden” due to her calm demeanor on court.

Early Era No. 2 Helen Wills Moody, Second Place with Seven Wins

Described as "the first American born woman to achieve international celebrity as an athlete,” it is obvious how Moody warranted this reputation. She won 19 grand slam titles over the course of her career. Seven of them at the US Open alone.

Along with her claim to fame come two Olympic gold medals from the 1924 summer games in Paris. Moody also boasted an amazing winning streak consisting of 158 matches without dropping a set.

But, Moody’s focus during the game and only desire was to “put the ball across the net” lost her popularity as she tuned out the crowd, the fame and the competitor. She was considered stoic.

During the French Championship in 1926, Moody had to have an emergency appendectomy. This cause a brief blip in her career. In 1933 at the US Open final, Moody withdrew from a back injury. This made her very unpopular. Reacting from the backlash of the crowd and fans, Moody vowed to never play another US Open match. She never did.

Moody finished her career having been America’s number one player for most of the 1920s.

Early Era No. 1 Molla Bjurstedt Mallory, First Place with Eight Wins

Molla began her tennis career in 1915 and was unknown, working as a masseuse in New York City. Born in Norway to an army officer, Molla rocketed onto the tennis scene with lesser equipment and experience than her competitors.

She was known to be sturdy, fierce and to run with endless energy. She held the old school style of tennis, rallying at the baseline. This won her eight U.S. Open tennis titles in her career, the most of any woman in history.

1921 brought a rivalry between Mallory and tennis star Suzanne Lenglen as Lenglen resigned from the match at the end of the first game in the second set, having already lost the first set. Skeptics said that Lenglen feigned her whooping cough. In either case, this match raised Mallory to a new platform of fame. 

Mallory took the last of her U.S. Open titles in 1926 at age 42, after competing in 15 finals at the event. She, alongside Chris Evert Lloyd, won four consecutive titles in a row.