2004 Wimbledon Championships – Women's Singles became the third-youngest woman to win Wimbledon (behind Lottie Dod and Martina Hingis) and the second Russian woman (after Anastasia Myskina won the French Open earlier that year) to win a Grand Slam title. Venus Williams, who had appeared in the previous four Wimbledon finals, winning in 2000 and 2001, suffered her earliest exit from Wimbledon since her debut, being upset in the second round by Karolina Šprem. This was also the last Grand Slam singles tournament that former world No. 1 Martina Navratilova competed in; having been awarded a wild card, she won her first round match and became,
1996 Wimbledon Championships – Women's Singles 1996 Wimbledon Championships – Women's Singles Steffi Graf was the defending champion, and successfully defended her title, defeating Arantxa Sánchez Vicario in the final, 6–3, 7–5 to win the Ladies' Singles tennis title at the 1996 Wimbledon Championships, giving Graf the seventh Wimbledon title of her career. It was the second consecutive major final between the two women, with Graf also winning the French Open crown a month earlier. With this victory, Graf captured her seventh and final Wimbledon crown, while it marked Sánchez Vicario's last appearance in the ladies' Wimbledon final. Steffi Graf (Champion) Chanda Rubin withdrew due to