Most Australian Open finals appearances: Women’s singles finalists
Which women’s players have made the most Australian Open finals appearances? To reach a Grand Slam final is an incredible achievement, and to do it multiple times at one tournament is something only a select few can say.
Most Australian Open finals appearances
The Australian Open is the first Grand Slam of the season, which takes place in January. It is held annually at Melbourne Park and is one of the biggest tournaments of the year.
This list includes the women’s Australian Open finalists in the Open Era, which began in 1968. Prior to 1968, only amateur players were allowed to compete in the Grand Slams.
Some of the players on this list made the most of their finals appearances, winning the title on most or all occasions, while others let a few slip away.
10. (Tie) Li Na – 3 appearances
Li Na won two Grand Slams in her career, with her first one coming in 2011 at the French Open.
Her second would come at the 2014 Australian Open, after failing to win in her first two tries in the final in 2011 and 2013. Na defeated Dominika Cibulkova in the final and would retire later that year.
10. (Tie) Justine Henin – 3 appearances
A 7-time Grand Slam champion, Henin would win her first and only Australian Open in 2004.
She would go on to make the final two other times in 2006 and 2010 but would fall to Amelie Mauresmo and Serena Williams respectively in those finals. Henin is a former world number one and won the gold medal in the 2004 Olympic Games.
7. (Tie) Maria Sharapova – 4 appearances
Maria Sharapova was not as fortunate as Monica Seles and Margaret Court in her four Australian Open finals, winning just once.
Her lone victory came in 2008 against Ana Ivanovic, which was a year after her first Australian Open final. She would make the final twice more in 2012 and 2015, losing to Victoria Azarenka and Serena Williams. Sharapova is one of only 10 players in women’s tennis history to complete the career Grand Slam.
7. (Tie) Margaret Court – 4 appearances
Margaret Court was a perfect 4-0 in Australian Open finals in the Open Era.
Her victories came in 1969, 1970, 1971, and 1973. In 1970, Court became the first women’s player in the Open Era to complete a calendar Grand Slam, which she did by winning all four major tournaments in the same calendar year.
7. (Tie) Monica Seles – 4 appearances
Monica Seles was also 4-0 in Australian Open finals, winning in 1991, 1992, 1993, and 1996.
Seles was one of the best players on tour in the early 1990s, winning three out of four Grand Slams in both 1991 and 1992. The only tournament she did not win in her career was Wimbledon, where she finished as a runner-up in 1992. Seles finished her career with nine Grand Slam titles and a bronze medal in the 2000 Summer Olympics.
6. Steffi Graf – 5 appearances
One of the greatest tennis players ever, Steffi Graf won 22 Grand Slam titles in her career, which included four at the Australian Open.
Her four victories in Australia came in 1988, 1989, 1990, and 1994, with her only defeat coming at the hands of Monica Seles in 1993. The Australian Open would be the major tournament Graf fared the worst at though, as she would win at least five titles in each of the other three Grand Slams. Graf is best known for being the only singles player to complete the Golden Slam, which she did in 1988 by winning all four Grand Slams and an Olympic gold medal in the same calendar year.
3. (Tie) Chris Evert – 6 appearances
An 18-time Grand Slam champion, Chris Evert had six Australian Open women’s singles finals appearances between 1974 and 1988. Unfortunately, she only lifted the trophy on two of those six occasions.
After losing in the final on her first two attempts, Evert finally got into the win column in her third appearance in 1982. She would win her second Australian Open title two years later in 1984.
3. (Tie) Martina Hingis – 6 appearances
Martina Hingis went 3-3 in her six Australian Open finals.
She would win her first three appearances, winning back-to-back-to-back titles from 1997-1999. Although Hingis would make the finals in each of the next three years, she would fail to win a single one of them. Hingis won five Grand Slams in her career and reached a career-high ranking of number one in the world.
3. (Tie) Martina Navratilova – 6 appearances
Martina Navratilova won 18 Grand Slam titles in her career, with three of them coming at the Australian Open.
Navratilova’s first victory in Australia came in 1981 against Chris Evert. She would make the finals the next two years, losing to Evert in 1982 and then defeating Kathy Jordan in 1983 for her second title. Her final victory in Australia came in 1985, defeating Evert in the final once again.
2. Evonne Goolagong Cawley – 7 appearances
Evonne Goolagong Cawley is a 4-time Australian Open champion.
Goolagong Cawley made the finals six years in a row from 1971-1976. She would be unsuccessful in her first three attempts but would eventually win four Australian Open titles in a span of five tournaments, with her last one coming in December of 1977.
1. Serena Williams – 8 appearances
Serena Williams holds the record for most Australian Open finals appearances with eight. She won the tournament in 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2015, and 2017.
Williams would go on to lose just one of her eight finals, which came at the hands of Angelique Kerber in 2016. Her seven victories at the Australian Open are the most by a women’s player in the Open Era.