Tennis stars who brightened up the women’s singles

Who will be the new queen of the US Open? The signs point to Aryna Sabalenka as the favorite to win (here Tennis World USA predictions ), but the women’s singles have always thrown up surprises in New York. This year, many stars are vying to become queen of Flushing Meadows, but only one can ascend to the throne. In addition to Sabalenka, of course, WTA No.1 Iga Swiatek, reigning champion Coco Gauff, then fellow Americans Danielle Collins and Jessica Pegula, Kazakh Elena Rybakina and outsiders Jasmine Paolini and Qinwen Zheng.

But who are the tennis players who have written the history of the New York Major and made an important contribution to the history of tennis? When you think of New York, you inevitably think of Serena Williams, but there are many tennis players who have written the history of the women’s singles.

Ellen Hansell was the first winner of the women’s tournament, in 1887. In the early years there were many winners in the women’s singles, including Juliette Atkinson and Elizabeth Moore. During and after the First World War, Hazel Hotchkiss Wightman, Mary Browne, Molla Bjurstedt Mallory (who holds the record for 8 titles – ed.) and Helen Wills Moody dominated the tournament.

In the 1930s, Helen Hull Jacobs beat Anita Lizana to victory. The Chilean was the first Latin American to win a Grand Slam in women’s singles. Between the late 1930s and the late 1950s, other great stars of women’s tennis emerged, writing important pages of history at the US Open: Alice Marble, Pauline Betz, Margaret Osborne duPont (the most successful US Open player ever with 25 titles in women’s singles, women’s doubles and mixed doubles), Maureen Connolly and Doris Hart.

After Maria Bueno came the rise of Margaret Smith and Billie Jean King, who challenged each other in a super rivalry. Rivalry between the 70s and 80s with Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert as the main characters. Between the 80s and 90s the main characters in Flushing Meadows were Steffi Graf and Monica Seles. With the new millennium Venus and Serena Williams, Kim Clijisters, Justin Henin and Maria Sharapova were the stars who lit up Flushing Meadows.

Recent years have seen surprises and dominance, with triumphs by Flavia Pennetta, Angelique Kerber, Sloane Stephens and Naomi Osaka. 2021 saw perhaps the biggest surprise in the tournament’s history, with Emma Raducanu winning the title at the age of 19, starting in qualification. In 2022, Iga Swiatek won her first (and so far only) Major outside Roland Garros on clay in New York. Last season, the title was won by American tennis player Coco Gauff, who hopes to emulate the achievements of her illustrious compatriot Serena Williams.