The five youngest players to ever win the championship of WTA Finals

The sport of women’s tennis has produced a number of legendary players, including Martina Navratilova, Steffi Graf, Serena Williams, and others. In a similar vein, the circuit is currently witnessing the emergence of players such as Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff, and Aryna Sabalenka. In a sport like tennis, consistency is absolutely necessary. To be eligible for the Women’s Tennis Association Finals, a star player must maintain a high level of performance during the entire season on the tour.

There is a final prize awarded to the tennis player who outperformed the other seven players to win the finals, and consistency is something that can be noticed throughout the entire process of experience. On the other hand, there are occasions when a young player emerges as a prominent figure in the world of tennis and quickly becomes a household name.

In light of this, let’s take a look at the five youngest players to ever win the Women’s Tennis Association Finals.

At the age of 18 years, 5 months, and 9 days, Steffi Graf
(Image courtesy of the Olympics) Steffi Graf
Over the course of the Open Era, Steffi Graf has won 22 Grand Slam titles, making her the second-most successful player in women’s singles competition. She also won the Olympic gold medal and all four Grand Slam tournaments in 1988, making her the only tennis player to ever win the Golden Slam in a single year.

The year 1987 was the year when she won her first year-end titles. Gabriela Sabatini of Argentina was defeated by Steffi Graf in the championship match by a score of 4–6, 6–4, 6–0, 6–4. Prior to her victory over Sabatini, she had previously triumphed over Sylvia Hanika, a representative of her own country, in the round of four and Helena Suková in the quarterfinals.

Chris Evert is 17 years old, 9 months old, and 25 days old.
Chris Evert (Thanks to The Guardian for the images)
A total of four year-end singles titles were won by Chris Evert. It was in 1972, when she was only 17 years old, that she claimed victory in the event for the very first time. Her opponent was the Australian Kerry Melville. After winning the championship in 1973, Evert went back to Boca Raton, which is located in Florida, to compete in the championship match.

Maria Sharapova is 17 years old, 6 months old, and 27 days old.
Photo credit goes to Tennis.com for Maria Sharapova.
There is only one individual on the list who has won the title in the 21st century, and that is Maria Sharapova. When she was a child prodigy, Sharapova made history by becoming the first woman to ever win a Grand Slam title. She did this in 2004 at the Wimbledon Championships. During the same year, she triumphed over Serena Williams with a score of 4–6, 6–2, and 6–4 to claim the year-end titles.

She defeated competitors such as Vera Zvonareva and Svetlana Kuznetsova in the group round of the WTA Finals Tournament, despite the fact that she was seeded sixth in the tournament. Nevertheless, she was defeated by Amélie Mauresmo, who was from France. Before facing Williams in the championship match, she claimed a three-set victory against Anastasia Myskina, a player from her own country, in the semifinals.

Tracy Austin is 17 years old, five months and eleven days old.
The United States Open is credited to Tracy Austin.
Tracy Austin, a former tennis player from the United States, has only ever won the Women’s Tennis Association Finals once, and that victory came against Martina Navratilova. During the group stage, she emerged victorious over Greer Stevens and Evonne Goolagong Cawley, while Wendy Turnbull withdrew from the competition.

The fact that Austin was only 17 years old at the time made her the youngest player to ever win the year-end titles. Her professional career was notably marked by the achievement of two Grand Slam tournaments, one of which was the United States Open, which she won in 1979 and 1980.

First, Monica Seles, who is 16 years, 11 months, and 16 days old
(Photographs courtesy of Tennis.com) Monica Seles
As the youngest person to ever win the Women’s Tennis Association Finals, Monica Seles is one of the most intriguing “what ifs” in the history of women’s tennis. She won her maiden season-ending title in 1990 by defeating Gabriela Sabatini of Argentina in a thrilling five-setter match that ended with a score of 6–4, 5–7, 3–6, 6–4, 6–2. She was only 16 years old at the time.

After undergoing knee surgery, Martina Navratilova, who was considered to be one of the leading contenders for the title, was forced to withdraw from the competition. In contrast, Steffi Graf of Germany was the first seed. Despite the fact that she has won nine Grand Slam titles, she is the only player to have won the WTA Finals before turning 17 years old.