Billie Jean King the first of her six singles titles at Wimbledon and the first of twelve Grand Slam singles titles overall, defeating Court in the semifinals 6–3, 6–3 and Maria Bueno in the final. King credited her semifinal victory to her forehand down the line, a new shot in her repertoire. She also said that the strategy for playing Court is, "Simple. Just chip the ball back at her feet." At the U.S. Championships, an ill King was upset by Kerry Melville Reid in the second round. King successfully defended her title at the South African Tennis Championships in 1967, defeating Maria
1998 Wimbledon Championships – Women's Singles 1998 Wimbledon Championships – Women's Singles Martina Hingis was the defending champion but lost in the semifinals to Jana Novotná, in a rematch of the previous year's final. Novotná defeated Nathalie Tauziat in the final, 6–4, 7–6 to win the Ladies' Singles tennis title at the 1998 Wimbledon Championships. This was Novotná's first win in a Wimbledon final on her third attempt. This would be the last time a Czech player would win Wimbledon (or win a Grand Slam title) until Petra Kvitová won in 2011. The 1998 final was the first time in the Open Era since the 1980