Serena Williams and the 16 Greatest Women's US Open Tennis Champions of All Time

In just a short time now, we will be preparing to watch the US Open.

This slideshow was developed to take a look at the top women who have played in and eventually won this Grand Slam.

There will be names that are quite familiar, however, there will be names that are not. But, there is a common thread that runs through this group—they are all great tennis players.

I hope this snapshot into these women's lives will inspire you to learn more about them and their accomplishments.

And so, let us begin.

Note: The selection process was not solely based on the number of wins, and they are listed in no particular order. Additionally, there are women from the pre-Open era as well as the Open era.

Christine Marie "Chris" Evert

Born: December 21, 1954

Chris Evert easily makes this list of greatest US Open champions, but just as easily, she makes the list of greatest tennis players of all time.

Chris holds the record for best career win-loss record in tennis history. She was 1,309-146 during a career that spanned 17 years (1972-89).

Over the course of her career, she won 157 career singles titles (18 Grand Slams) and 32 doubles titles (three Grand Slams).

Chris won a record six US Open singles titles. She and Molla Mallory jointly share the record for winning the US Open four consecutive times.

Chris was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1995.

Interesting fact: Chris was only the fourth person to ever be unanimously approved to be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

Margaret Court (aka Margaret Smith Court)

Born: July 16, 1942

Sometimes heralded as the greatest women’s tennis player of all time, when you talk about accomplishments on the court, it’s quite easy to see why.

Over the course of her career she achieved an astonishing 24 Grand Slam titles in singles, doubles and mixed doubles. Of those titles, she won five US Open singles titles.

She was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1979.

Interesting fact(s): She holds the record along with Kim Clijsters for the most Grand Slam singles titles as a mother.

Billie Jean King

Born: November 22, 1943

Billie Jean King’s name is synonymous with tennis—and for good reason and a large part is due to the US Open.

Billie Jean’s debut in tennis was actually at the US Championships as a 15-year-old. Though she had a match point, she was not able to follow through on it, losing to Justina Bricka.

Following her debut, Billie Jean would go on to win 39 Grand Slam titles in singles, doubles and mixed doubles. Of those wins, 13 took place at the US Open. In fact in 1967, she won all three titles.

Billie Jean King was recognized for her achievements by being inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1987.

Interesting fact(s): Billie Jean King was the first tennis player to be named Sportsman of the Year by Sports Illustrated in 1972.

Anna Margarethe "Molla" Bjurstedt Mallory

Born: March 6, 1884

Molla Mallory was a Norwegian-born American tennis player. To borrow a cliché, Mallory was truly ahead of her time. She has been described a strong woman with a passion for the game by those closest to her. Prior to arriving in New York in 1915, she had already won a bronze medal on the behalf of her native Norway in the 1912 Olympics.

Her first US Nationals championship was in 1915—the same year that she arrived in New York.

Mallory would go on to win a record eight singles title. Her last being in 1926 at the age of 42. Today, tennis players are looked upon as aged when they reach 30. 

And though she did not win another singles titles, she actually played until the age of 45, losing to fellow member of this list, Helen Wills Moody.

She was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1958.

Interesting fact(s): Mallory reached the singles finals 15 times.

Helen Wills Moody (aka Helen Newington Wills Roark)

Born: October 6, 1905

Helen Wills Moody was an amazing tennis player.  On the court, because of her stoic nature of never paying attention to the crowd or her opponents and never showing any emotions as she has been described, she was given the nickname “Little Miss Poker Face.”

In an interview, she was asked about the comment, and to paraphrase her response, she was focused on one thing and one thing alone, getting that ball across the net.

Over the course of her career, she won 31 Grand Slam titles in singles, doubles and mixed doubles. Of those wins, 13 were at the US Open.

Mrs. Moody was inducted into the International Hall of Fame in 1959.

Interesting fact(s): She was on the cover of Time magazine in 1926 and 1929.

Steffi Graf

Born: June 14, 1969

There are so many accomplishments to talk about when talking about this women's tennis great.

Steffi Graf set a number of records over the course of her career. She won 22 Grand Slam titles while on tour. Of those titles, five of those were at the US Open.

She was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2004.

Interesting fact(s): She reached the final of every tournament in 1987 and 1989.

Martina Navratilova

Born: October 18, 1956

When Billie Jean King talks about someone as being the greatest singles, doubles and mixed doubles player ever, one has to be a great player.  The player of course has to be Martina Navratilova.

Over the course of her career, she won 59 Grand Slam titles in singles, doubles and mixed doubles. Of those wins, 16 were at the US Open.

In 2006, at the age of 49, Martina completed her spectacular tennis career with a mixed doubles win with Bob Bryan (one-half of the Bryan Brothers) at none other than the US Open.

Martina was inducted into the International Hall of Fame in 2000.

Interesting fact(s): Martina is an accomplished writer.

Serena Williams

Born: September 26, 1981

 Ms. Williams is one of the greatest active players on tour and will no doubt go down in history as one of the all-time greatest.  To this day, Serena has won 27 Grand Slam titles.

An important part of her tennis timeline involves the US Open.  In 1998, she won the mixed doubles along side Max Mirnyi.  In 2001, alongside her big sister, Venus, in the final, they made history as the first time that sisters faced off on the Grand Slam finals stage. Unfortunately, Serena lost to Venus.

Of those 27 titles, she has won six at the US Open in singles, doubles and mixed doubles.  Her most recent victory was the 2008 women’s singles.

We look on in anticipation to see if Serena can add another US Open trophy to the Williams mantle in 2011.

Interesting fact(s): Serena has an line of clothing called "Signature Statement" designed exclusively for the Home Shopping Network (HSN).

Venus Williams

Born: June 17, 1980

Venus Williams, older sister of Serena and doubles partner, is no doubt also one of the greatest active tennis players on tour and has secured her place in tennis history.

Over the course of her career to this point, she has won 21 Grand Slam titles in singles and doubles. Of those titles, four were secured at the US Open.

A very special accomplishment for Venus is that she reached the US Open singles final on her first attempt in 1997. She was also the first unseeded women's finalist on this Grand Slam stage since 1958.

Interesting fact: Ms. Williams was the first African-American woman to be ranked World No. 1 in the Open era.

Monica Seles

Born: December 2, 1973

Monica Seles was a tennis great who didn’t really get a chance to fully maximize her career as she faced much challenge following an unfortunate attack by a mentally deranged fan in 1993, abruptly halting what undoubtedly would have been an even greater career than the short one she shared with the tennis world. 

She attempted to make a comeback, but she could never really get a grasp to return to the game.  

During her career, Seles won nine Grand Slam titles. Of those nine titles, two came at the US Open.

It really makes one wonder what could have been for such a talented tennis player.

She was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2009.

Interesting fact(s): During her tennis career, Seles held dual citizenship (Yugoslavia and the United States).

Tracy Austin

Born: December 12, 1962

When talking about tennis, and American tennis specifically, the name Tracy Austin doesn’t seem to come up in conversation as much as Chris Evert, Venus or Serena Williams or Monica Seles.

But, please do not let that cloud your thinking that Austin wasn’t a great tennis player.  And like Monica, a great tennis pro whose career was cut short way before she reached her full potential.

Tracy turned pro back in 1978. In 1979, she became the youngest person to ever win the singles title at the US Open.  She was only 16 years and 19 months.  Amazingly, this almost 17-year-old defeated none other than Chris Evert to attain this coveted honor.

Tracy went on to win the US Open singles title again in 1981.

Interesting fact: youngest person to be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame (1992).

Kim Clijsters

Born: June 8, 1983

Kim Clijsters is one of those names that many may not think should have or would have been included on this list.  But, though she may not have as many wins as some of these ladies, she is a great tennis player in her own right and that of the US Open.

Over the course of her career, Clijsters has won three US Open titles. Probably her most memorable was in 2009. Playing in just her third tournament after returning from retirement, Clijsters defeated the world No. 1 Serena Williams.

Clijsters was the first Wild Card and unseeded player to ever win the US Open singles title.

Interesting fact: She was the first mother to win a Major title since 1980 (Evonne Goolagong) when she won the 2009 title.

Justine Henin

Born: June 1, 1982

Justine Henin has been described by the greats in tennis as one of the best tennis players of all time for different reasons (her serve, her footwork, etc.), but yet for the same in that all their reasons point to one simple fact—she was an all-around great tennis player.

In actuality, I think that she still may have had some titles left to win in her had it not been for injuries. Her latest of course coming in January of 2011 when she announced that she was retiring due to an elbow injury.

Though her career may have been cut short, she left her mark on the tennis world. Over the course of her career, she won seven Grand Slam titles. Of those seven titles, two were at the US Open.

Of the two titles, her 2007 title run afforded her a couple of distinguished moments. First, Henin defeated her first four opponents in straight sets, with a 6-0 set in each match. Additionally, along the way, she defeated not one but both of the Williams sisters. This was the first time that this had occurred since 2001 when Martina Hingus handed a double loss to the Williams family at the Australian Open.

Interesting fact(s): Henin is a Belgian reality television star.

Pauline Betz Addie

Born: August 6, 1919

Not a lot information is available on Pauline Mae Betz Addie. But one thing is for sure in what is available, she was good at playing tennis.

Over the course of her career, she won five Grand Slam titles. Of those titles, four were at the United States Championships. Her first was in 1942 and her last was in 1946.

She was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1965.

Interesting fact(s): The tennis center that Addie co-founded with Allie Rizenberg and Stanley Hoffberger in 1972 was renamed for her, Pauline Betz Addie Tennis Center, in May 2008. It is located in Potomac, Maryland.

Maria Bueno

Born: October 11, 1939

Maria Bueno is somewhat of a hidden treasure in the history and accomplishments of the players of the US Open.

Maria Bueno won 19 Grand Slam titles during her career. Of those titles, she won eight at the US Open in singles and doubles.

One of her most memorable wins was back in 1959. That year, she made tennis history as the first non-North American to win both Wimbledon and the US Open in the same year.

She was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1979.

Interesting fact(s): Bueno won her first Grand Slam (doubles title) with fellow US Open great, Althea Gibson.

Althea Gibson

Born: August 25, 1927

As I explained in the opening slide, the selection of the top women’s singles title holders was not solely based upon their wins at the US Open, and Althea Gibson is another perfect example. 

Althea Gibson was the first African American to enter into the tennis arena. In most instances, when one thinks of African-American pioneers for civil rights, it’s probably easy to think of such great people as Rosa Parks and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. But, stop for a minute and think, if it had not been for Althea Gibson, we probably would not have Venus, Serena, Arthur or Gael.

Althea was the first African-American to win a Grand Slam title—French 1956. The following year, she became the first African-American to win the US Open singles title as well as doubles and actually successfully defended the singles title in 1958.

So we salute a woman born in Manning, SC who touched and changed the world using her athletic gift on the tennis court.

Althea Gibson was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1971.

Interesting fact(s): Althea Gibson was also the first African American to play in the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA).

Hazel Hotchkiss Wightman

Born: December 20, 1886

Though she was nicknamed Queen Mother of American Tennis or Lady Tennis, Hazel Hotchkiss Wightman could have easy been nicknamed the Queen of the US Open.

Over the course of her career, she won 16 Grand Slam titles. Of those titles, ALL were US Championship titles. She won them in singles, doubles and mixed doubles.

In fact, from 1909-11, she swept singles, doubles and mixed doubles.

She was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1957.

Interesting fact(s):  Wightman began the Ladies International Tennis Challenge (Wightman Cup) between American and British women. Her goal was to ignite interest in women’s tennis as the Davis Cup did for men’s tennis.  The Tennis Challenge was played from 1923-1989.

 

Conclusion

As so, this concludes a look at women who have left an indelible mark on the US Open.

Please feel free to share your comments and feedback below.

Special thanks to:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page

http://www.tennisfame.com/

http://www.britannica.com/