Five Youngest Champions in Tennis WTA Tour History

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Top five youngest WTA Tour champions

Winning a WTA Tour-level victory is no easy task. There are no second chances in this knockout sport, so lifting the trophy is a great achievement in itself.

If this victory is of a young player, then its significance increases even more. The list of teenagers who have won WTA events is long. Here we are telling you about some of the youngest WTA Tour champions of the Open Era who won titles and made history.

1. Mirra Andreeva – 17 years and 90 days – 2024 Iasi Open

Mirra Andreeva became one of the youngest champions of the WTA Tour by winning the Iasi Open (Romania) title in 2024. When Andreeva won her first WTA tournament, she was just 17 years and 3 months old.

However, her victory was made relatively easy when her opponent and fifth seed Elina Avanesyan withdrew from the final due to injury in the third set. At the time Andreeva was trailing 5-7, 4-5 and was serving to stay in the match. She saved serve and won the second set 7-5. She then took a 4-0 lead in the third set before Avanesyan had to retire with a hamstring injury.

The success continued for Andreeva this season. She won two consecutive WTA 1000 titles by winning the Dubai Open and Indian Wells Open before turning 18. With this achievement she became the youngest player to win two consecutive WTA 1000 tournaments since Martina Hingis in 1997.

2. Tracy Austin – 16 years, 270 days – 1979 US Open

In the 1979 US Open final, Tracy Austin faced Chris Evert, one of the best tennis players at the time, who was aiming to win her fifth consecutive US Open title. But Austin won 6-4, 6-3 to claim her first Grand Slam title of her career.

Austin defeated Chris Evert, who had won 31 consecutive matches in New York to achieve this historic victory. In 1981 Austin won the US Open title once again after defeating Martina Navratilova. Her first US Open title makes her the youngest ever winner, and that record still stands today.

3. Monica Seles – 16 years and 180 days – 1990 French Open

In 1990, Monica Seles became the youngest Roland Garros champion by winning the French Open at the age of 16. In the final, she created history by defeating Stefanie Graf 7-6(6), 6-4. Her powerful shots and aggressive play on the court helped her to get a new identity in the world of tennis.

At the age of 18, Seles became number 1 in the WTA rankings. She retained the number 1 position till the end of the year in 1991, 1992 and 1995. Her career includes four Australian Open (1991-93, 1996), three French Open (1990-1992) and two US Open (1991-92) titles.

4. Martina Hingis – 16 years and 117 days – 1997 Australian Open

Swiss tennis legend Martina Hingis created history by winning the 1997 Australian Open. She became the youngest player to win a Grand Slam title at the age of 16 years and 117 days. In the final, she defeated Mary Pierce 6-2, 6-2 to win her first Grand Slam.

Hingis also made it to the finals of the other three Grand Slams that year. She won Wimbledon and the US Open but lost in the French Open final. The following year, she defended the Australian Open title and became the youngest player to win the title two years in a row.

5. Coco Gauff – 15 years and 210 days – 2019 Linz Open

Coco Gauff made a grand entry into the tennis world by winning the Linz Open in 2019. She was only 15 years old when she won her first WTA Tour-level title. She defeated World No. 72 Jelena Ostapenko in the final.

Notably, Gauff defeated Liudmila Samsonova in the first match of the qualifying round but lost against Tamara Korpatsch in the second match. Despite this, she entered the main draw as a ‘lucky loser’ and went on to win the title.

It was a great year for Gauff. She rose rapidly in the WTA rankings, from No. 685 to No. 68 by the end of the season.

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