One 16-year-old, two 17-year-olds and four 19-year-olds feature on the list of the seven youngest women to win the French Open title with Mirra Andreeva adding her name to the list.
Seven Youngest French Open Women’s Winners:
7. Chris Evert – 19 years and 5 months
Queen of Clay Evert remains top of the list for most French Open titles won and she was still in her teens when she won the first of her 18 majors at Roland Garros in 1974.
Evert came close to winning the title as an 18-year-old in 1973, but lost a three-setter against Margaret Court.
The American was back in the final 12 months later and did not drop a set in Paris, defeating Olga Morozova 6–1, 6–2 in the final.
6. Iga Swiatek – 19 years and 4 months
Swiatek was a ranked outsider at the 2020 French Open as she was down at No 54 in the WTA Rankings, but she stormed to the title, beating Sofia Kenin – who had won the Australian Open earlier in the year – 6–4, 6–1 to win the first of her six majors.
French Open News
Roland Garros WTA Rankings Winners & Losers: Chwalinska, Andreeva, Kostyuk climb; Sabalenka, Gauff suffer blows
Aryna Sabalenka is in ‘a terrible state’ after ‘quit tennis’ remark at Roland Garros
With the win, she became the lowest-ranked player to lift the women’s trophy since the rankings were introduced in 1975.
The Pole didn’t drop a set in Paris during the fortnight and upset top seed Simona Halep in the round of 16.
5. Hana Mandlikova – 19 years and 3 months
Mandlikova was already a Grand Slam winner when she won the trophy in 1981 as she lifted the Australian Open crown the previous year.
The Czech handed defending champion Evert her first defeat at a Grand Slam in six events as she beat the American in the semi-final and then got the better of Sylvia Hanika in the final, winning 6–2, 6–4 to secure the second of her four major trophies.
4. Mirra Andreeva – 19 years and 1 month
Just over a month after celebrating her 19th birthday, Andreeva fulfilled her early promise by not only reaching her maiden Grand Slam final, but also going on to win the title.
The Russian teenager took on fellow first-time finalist Maja Chwalinska in the Roland Garros showpiece match on Court Philippe-Chatrier and came away with a 6-3, 6-1 win, bumping Iva Majoli (19 years and 10 months) off the top-seven list.
3. Steffi Graf – 17 years and 11 months
The Grand Slam story of Steffi Graf started as a 13-year-old in 1983 and four years later she would win the first of her 22 majors as she lifted the 1087 French Open crown.
Seeded second, the German defeated Gabriela Sabatini in the semi-final and then overcame Martina Navratilova 6–4, 4–6, 8–6 in the final.
Graf would finish runner-up in the Wimbledon and US Open finals that year before going on to complete the Career Golden Slam (winning all four Grand Slams and Olympic gold) in 1988.
2. Arantxa Sanchez Vicario – 17 years and 5 months
Graf was the favourite in 1989 as she was the top seed and two-time defending champion, and she served for the match at 5-3 in the decider, but Spanish teenager Sanchez Vicario came away with the 7–6 (8–6), 3–6, 7–5.
At the time, the Spaniard was the youngest women’s champion, but she would lose her title the following year.
Sanchez Vicario went on to win two more titles in Paris (1994 and 1998) and the US Open in 1994.
1. Monica Seles – 16 years and 6 months
Having made her debut as a 15-year-old in 1989, Seles went all the way in 1990 as she defeated Graf 7–6 (8–6), 6–4 in the final to become the youngest-ever Grand Slam champion at the time.
Seles would go on to win three titles in a row at Roland Garros before 20 and she remains the youngest French Open champion.
The Yugoslavia-born star ended up winning nine Grand Slams, but there is no doubt she would have won more had it not been for the unfortunate stabbing incident in 1993.