Billie Jean King New York City and Chicago with Kloss, her life partner. 18 finals (12 titles, 6 runner-ups) Singles Billie Jean King Billie Jean King ("née" Moffitt; born November 22, 1943) is an American former World No. 1 professional tennis player. King won 39 Grand Slam titles: 12 in singles, 16 in women's doubles, and 11 in mixed doubles. She won the singles title at the inaugural WTA Tour Championships. She often represented the United States in the Federation Cup and the Wightman Cup. She was a member of the victorious United States team in seven Federation Cups and nine Wightman Cups.
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.