As one of the four biggest international tennis tournaments, just playing the French open is a career highlight for any professional tennis player. Winning goes even beyond that.
Listed below are the women’s tennis players with the most French open singles title wins during the open era.
1. Chris Evert – 7 wins
After her first French open final in 1973, Chris Evert returned the next year to win her first title against Olga Morozova. In 1975, she defended her title and teamed up with fellow legend Martina Navratilova to win the double’s title as well. Over the course of her career, she competed in 56 Grand slam singles tournaments and won the French open five more times in 1979, 1980, 1983, 1985, and 1986. With seven total wins, Chris Evert is the female tennis player with the most French open titles in the open era.
2. Steffi Graf – 6 wins
The year after Chris Evert won her first French open, Steffi Graf defeated Navratilova to win her first French open. In the next final, in 1988, Graf made history, by winning against Natasha Zvereva in the first double bagel (two sets won the love) in a grand slam tournament since 1911. After a few years of semi-finals appearances but no wins, she won again in 1993, 1995, 1996, and one final time in 1999. With six total French open titles, Steffi Graf retired as one of the best players in the history of tournament.
Check out here Steffi Graf Records
3. Justine Henin – 4 wins
With a total of seven Grand slam tournament titles, Justine Henin was instrumental in making Belgium a leading country in the field of Women’s tennis. In 2003, she defeated Serena Williams in the semi-final and won her first French open title against fellow Belgium Kim Clijsters in straight sets. This accomplishment made Henin the first Belgian to ever win a Grand slam singles tournament. After a shocking loss to Tathiana Garbin in the early rounds of the 2004 French open, she won the next three titles from 2005 – 2007 against Pierce, Kuznetsova, and Ivanovic, respectively. In 2016, with four total French open wins, she became the first Belgian to be inducted into the international tennis hall of fame.
4. Arantxa Sanchez Vicario – 3 wins
Arantxa Sanchez Vicario participated in her first French opens at only 15 and 16 years of age. In 1989, she ended Steffi Graf’s long consecutive Grand slam streak with a final score of 7-6 (8-6), 3-6, 7-5. At 17 years old, this win made Sanchez Vicario the youngest winner of the female singles tournament at the French open. After failing to defend her title, she made it to the finals the next four years and at last won in 1994 against Mary Pierce in straight sets of 6-4, 6-4. She then went another four years before winning the French open a third and final time in 1998 against Monica Seles.
5. Monica Seles – 3 wins
Yugoslavian tennis player Monica Seles made history by winning nine grand slam titles at such a young age, with eight of those titles won as a teenager. With a final score of 7-6 (8- 6), 6-4, she won her first French open against Steffi Graff only a year into her professional career. It also made her at 16 years old, the youngest woman to ever win the French open. She successfully defended her title the next year against Sanchez Vicario, the former holder of that record. In 1993, she won a consecutive third and final French open title against Steffi Graff. Though she never returned to the finals, Seles retired with a prestigious number of wins.
Also Read | Top 5 greatest French Open finals
6. Serena Williams – 3 wins
As arguably the greatest women’s tennis player of all time, Serena William has won 23 Grand slam singles titles, the most of any player in the open era. A few years into her career, Williams played and won her first French open title against sister Venus in a decisive 7-5, 6-3 win. Despite winning 13 further Grand slam titles in the interim period, she could not return to a French open final until 2013, where she won in two straight sets (6-4,6-4) against Maria Sharapova. Two years later, in 2015, she won her third and last singles titles against Lucie Safarova in a 6-3,6-7,6-2 match.
Also Read | Top 5 rivalries of Serena Williams Career
7. Margaret Court – 3 wins
With 66 Grand slam championships the most of any female tennis player, Margaret Court placed very well at the French open throughout her career. After the beginning of the open era in 1969, Court won her first French open title against Ann Haydon Jones 6-1, 4-6, 6-3 match. She also won every other Grand slam title that year as well. She defended her French open title the next year against Helga Niessen Masthoff and then won one final time in 1973 against Chris Evert. These wins make a total of three French open wins for Margaret Court during the open era.
8. Martina Navratilova – 2 wins
Though she fared much better in other Grand slam tournaments, with 19 total Grand slam titles to her name, Martina Navratilova competed six times in the French open finals. After winning both the Australian open and Wimbledon, she won her first French open title against American Andrea Jaeger in a 7-6, 6-1 game. Though she competed five further times and won 16 more Grand slam titles, Navratilova won her second and final French open championship against Chris Evert in 1984 in a clean two sets (6-4, 6-1).
Here take a look at Best matches of Martina Navratilova
9. Maria Sharapova – 2 wins
During her nearly two-decade career, Maria Sharapova was the first Russian and one of only ten women to complete a career Grand slam. After winning Wimbledon in 2004, the US open in 2006, and the Australian open in 2008, the French open was the last major tournament title she needed to complete the feat. In 2012 finals, Sharapova at last won against frontrunner Sara Errani in two straights sets of 6-3, 6- 2. Though she would lose to serena Williams the next year, Maria Sharapova returned in 2014 to win a second French open title against Simona Halep.
