5 youngest women's Grand Slam champions in the Open Era

1. Martina Hingis (16 years, 117 days)

One of the most celebrated players in women's tennis history, Martina Hingis still holds the record of being the youngest Grand Slam champion in the Open Era. She achieved the feat at the 1997 Australian Open, where she defeated Mary Pierce in the final

In a career that saw many ups and downs, the Swiss superstar won five Grand Slam singles titles, 13 Grand Slam women's doubles titles and seven Grand Slam mixed doubles titles, to record her name in the history books as a 25-time Grand Slam champion. She also became the youngest ever World No. 1 at just 16 years old, in 1997.

Hingis also achieved the extremely rare feat of a Calendar doubles Grand Slam in 1998, winning all the four women's doubles Grand Slam titles that year.

After an early retirement in 2007 at the age of 27, Hingis returned six years later in 2013 and asserted her dominance once again, as she won four Grand Slam women's doubles titles and six Grand Slam mixed doubles titles. Her comeback period also saw her win multiple doubles titles in 2015 and 2016 with Indian tennis star Sania Mirza, and the pair also recorded an astonishing 41-match winning streak.

Hingis also won an Olympic silver at the 2016 Games with partner Timea Backsinszky. The International Hall of Famer eventually retired in October 2017, as one of the most successful tennis players in history.

Martina Hingis