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
1971 US Open – Women's Singles 1971 US Open – Women's Singles Two-time reigning champion Margaret Court did not defend her title. Billie Jean King defeated Rosemary Casals 6–4, 7–6 (5-2) in the final to win the Women's Singles tennis title at the 1971 US Open. This tournament was notable for being the first Grand Slam appearance in which Chris Evert competed in the main draw, she made it to the semi-final. She competed in 19 consecutive US Open tournaments until her retirement in 1989. The seeded players are listed below. Billie Jean King is the champion; others show the round in which they were eliminated.