4 youngest women to win four French Open titles in the Open Era ft. Iga Swiatek and Chris Evert
Iga Swiatek joined the ranks of women who have won four Grand Slam titles in Paris after she was triumphant at the 2024 French Open. She also became the youngest woman to achieve the feat.
The French Open has always been a tough nut to crack for the world's best players. While Rafael Nadal and Chris Evert have made Stade Roland Garros their second home, others have not been quite as comfortable. However, many have found tremendous success on the Parisian clay quite early in their career and went on to become greats of the sport.
With that said, let's take a look at the four youngest women to win four French Open titles:
#4 Steffi Graf
German tennis legend Steffi Graf has found success at almost every tournament she has played in her career. This includes 107 titles on the WTA Tour, the third-highest of all time, 22 of which came at the Grand Slam level. Graf won the title at the French Open an incredible six times in her career. She emerged victorious in Paris in 1987, 1988, 1993, 1995, 1996, and 1999.
Her fourth title in Paris in 1995 came when she was 25 Years and 361 Days, making her the fourth-youngest woman to reach the four French Open titles mark. Graf was seeded No. 2 and bettered top seed and defending champion Arantxa Sánchez Vicario in the title contest.
#3 Chris Evert
Chris Evert is the most successful female player in French Open history, with seven out of her 18 Grand Slam titles coming in Paris. The American stalwart lifted the Suzanne-Lenglen Cup for the first time in 1974 and defended it in 1975. She was the champion again in 1979 and 1980. Her 1980 title came when she was 25 years and 168 days old.
Chris Evert was seeded No. 1 at the 1980 Roland Garros and dropped only two sets to reach the final. She then defeated Virginia Ruzici, the eighth seed from Romania, in the title contest. Evert would go on to win the clay Slam in 1983, 1985, and 1986.
#2 Justine Henin
Justine Henin was a tennis sensation between 2003 and 2007. The leading force in Belgian tennis won seven Grand Slams in her career, in addition to 36 other titles on the WTA Tour. The French Open was the most fruitful Grand Slam for the former World No. 1, having won four times in Paris. She won her first Roland Garros title in 2003.
Henin then became the second female player to win three Roland Garros titles on the trot after Monica Seles when she ruled supreme in the clay Slam in 2005, 2006, and 2007. The Belgian was 25 years and eight days old when she bettered Ana Ivanovic in the title contest of the 2007 edition, making her the then-youngest woman to become a four-time French Open champion.
#1 Iga Swiatek
From the second youngest to the first, Iga Swiatek broke Henin's record at the 2024 French Open. Swiatek was also the defending champion and on the verge of being ousted in the second round. But she persevered and looked a notch above the rest as she downed Jasmine Paolini in the title contest. The Pole lifted her fourth title in Paris at the age of 23 years and nine days.
Swiatek won her first Roland Garros title in 2021. She became the third player after Seles and Henin to complete a hat trick of clay Slam titles, with titles in 2022, 2023, and 2024.