Top 9 Grand Slam Women’s Singles Final Rivalries: ft Navratilova-Evert, Venus-Serena

Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert have met in 14 Grand Slam singles finals during their careers – the most such meetings between women in the Open era.

Here, we explore Navratilova and Evert’s rivalry alongside the other most played Grand Slam women’s singles finals, head to head.

=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, have met in four Grand Slam singles finals.

Goolagong triumphed to win the first of her two Wimbledon titles in 1971, although her compatriot had the upper hand elsewhere.

Court triumphed on home soil in the 1971 and 1973 Australian Open finals and also defeated 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 has won all four major singles finals against Goolagong.

King’s most successful Grand Slam tournament was Wimbledon, and the American star defeated 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 dominated Sharapova and that extended to the Grand Slam final, with the American winning three of her four meetings against the Russian at that stage.

The 23-time major champion defeated Sharapova in the 2007 Australian Open final and also defeated her nemesis at the 2015 Australian Open and 2013 French Open.

However, Sharapova has had 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 in the 1970s and early 1980s.

Eighteen-time major winner Evert holds a slight edge in their head-to-head major finals, triumphing in US Open finals 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: Graph 3-3 Seles

The rivalry between Graf and Seles never took off as much as it should have, but the tennis legends went on to play six more Grand Slam finals against each other.

It was Seles who had 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 1993.

But it was Graf who defeated Seles in a one-sided final at Wimbledon in 1992 and 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: Graph 4-2 Navratilova

Two of the greatest players in WTA history, superstars Graf and Navratilova have met in six Grand Slam singles finals in just three seasons.

After the German stunned Navratilova in the 1987 French Open final, the Czech-American responded with victory at Wimbledon and the US Open final later that season.

However, Graf would start to dominate from then on and defeated her older rival in the 1988 and 1989 Wimbledon finals, along with defeating Navratilova at Flushing Meadows in 1989.

3) Steffi Graf vs Arantxa Sanchez Vicario – 7 finals

H2H: Graph 5-2 Sanchez Vicario

Graf was almost untouchable at times in the early and mid-1990s, although Sanchez Vicario was one of the few capable of pushing the 22-time major champion.

The German has won five of the last Grand Slam finals, beating Sanchez Vicario at the 1994 Australian Open and then both the French Open and Wimbledon in 1995 and 1996.

But Sanchez Vicario found some success, defeating Graf for her first major at the 1989 French Open and then triumphing in the 1994 US Open final.

2) Serena Williams vs Venus Williams – 9 finals

H2H: Serena 7-2 Venus

Few players have tested Serena as much as her older sister Venus, and only one pair in WTA history have met in more major finals than Williams.

Serena won seven of the nine Grand Slam finals, notably winning four consecutive 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 the Wimbledon finals in 2003 and 2009 and defeated her older sister for her historic 23rd Slam at the 2017 Australian Open.

Venus’ two wins 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 are an all-time Open Era record for both men and women, so it’s no surprise that the 14 major finals between them 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 played in 1978, 1979, 1982, 1984 and 1985.

She also triumphed in two US Open finals in 1983 and 1984 and Australian Open clashes in 1981 and 1985.

However, Evert won all three French Open finals in which they met – in 1975, 1984 and 1985 – and also the 1982 Australian Open final.

Read on: The 5 women with the most Grand Slam finals played – Serena Williams in 2nd place, Chris Evert with 34