5 youngest US Open women's singles champions

The US Open conducted its first women's singles championship in 1887. From 1887 to 1974, the competition was held on grass before being held on clay courts between 1975 to 1977. From 1978 onwards, the tournament has been conducted on hard courts.

The format in the women's game has undergone a sea change since the early days. In the early days (until 1918), the event was held in a knockout format (All - Comers). The format was officially called 'Challenger Round' and it featured a knockout format where the winner of a single-elimination phase squares off against the previous year's champion, who plays only that one match.

It is noteworthy to mention that the US Open was the first Grand Slam to award equal prize money to women athletes way back in 1973 itself. All other Grand Slams did so only at the turn of the century.

Women athletes belonging to 17 different nations have won the US Open since its inception with USA firmly ahead, with its athletes bagging 67 titles, including 25 in the Open Era. In the Open Era, Chris Evert and Serena Williams lead the charts with 6 title wins each.

Let us have a look at the 5 youngest women's singles champions at the US Open:

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#5 Steffi Graf

Steffi Graf at the United States Open Tennis Championship of 1988 - victory here enabled her to complete the 'Golden Slam'

Steffi Graf won a mighty 22 Grand Slam titles and held the World Number 1 ranking for an all-time longest spell of 377 weeks. But her march towards the path to greatness began in the year 1988.

Graf started the year in stupendous fashion, grabbing her second Grand Slam title at the Australian Open. What followed then was winning the French Open, Wimbledon and the Olympics gold.

By then, Graf had already established herself as one of the all-time greats despite still being under 20. She came into the US Open as the top seed. She had her sights set on becoming the first tennis athlete to win the 'Golden Slam' -- a feat which is unlikely to ever be matched.

Graf was in such dominating form throughout the competition that she did not drop a single set on her way to the final. In the final however, she faced her biggest test against Gabriela Sabatini. Graf won the match in a tough 3-set contest to win the US Open for the first time at the age of 19 years, 88 days.

#4 Serena Williams

Serena Williams after winning her first Grand Slam title

If Steffi Graf has made the list, then it doesn't seem surprising at all that Serena Williams too makes the list. After all, the two of them are considered among the top-5 greatest tennis players of all time. They share quite a few records -- including holding the WTA top position for a record 186 consecutive weeks.

Serena Williams has won an all time record of 331 matches at the Grand Slam level but her march to higher echelons of greatness began almost 20 years back in 1999. A teenaged prodigy, she came into the US Open as the 7th seed. She won her first two matches comfortably but faced difficulty in the 3rd round and the 4th round, needing to come from a set down on both occasions against Kim Clijsters and Conchita Martinez respectively.

In the quarter-final too, she had to come from a set down to beat Monica Seles. Another 3-set victory against Lindsay Davenport followed in the semis before she prevailed over Martina Hingis in the final in straight sets. Serena Willams was 17 years, 350 days old at the time of winning her first Grand Slam title.

#3 Monica Seles

Monica Seles - youngest to win 8 Grand Slam singles titles

No other tennis player barring Monica Seles has won 8 or more Grand Slam titles before turning 20. Very few people start playing at the highest level and challenge the top players immediately after turning professional. But that is exactly what Monica Seles accomplished.

In 1990, she became the youngest ever French Open women's singles champion by winning the title at the tender age of 16. She retained her title at Roland Garros the following year.

Seles came to the US Open in 1991 as the second seed behind her great rival Steffi Graf. She beat Americans Jennifer Capriati and Martina Navratilova in the semi-final and final respectively to win her first US Open title at the age of 17 years, 9 months, 5 days.

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#2 Martina Hingis

There are quite a few women who became World Number 1, won multiple Grand Slam titles in their teenage unlike in the men's field where they are few and far between. One such tennis prodigy was the first tennis superstar from Switzerland -- Martina Hingis.

Hingis won the Wimbledon doubles championships in 1996 when she was not even 16 years of age. The following year proved to be her best ever as she made the finals of all 4 Grand Slams, winning all but one.

Hingis entered the 1997 US Open as the top seed. Hingis won the competition without dropping a single set, beating Venus Williams in the final. Hingis was only 16 years, 11 months, 8 days old at the time of her first and only US Open triumph.

#1 Tracy Austin

Tracy Austin - youngest ever inductee to the International tennis Hall of Fame

In the days of the wooden racket era, few players in the women's game possessed a stronger all-round baseline game than American Tracy Austin. Blessed with a strong forehand and incredibly powerful two-handed backhands, Austin had the ability to hit winners with pinpoint accuracy. She also displayed great volleying skills which would help her win a Mixed Doubles title at the Wimbledon Championships with her brother John Austin. In 1995, she broke Chris Evert's 125-match winning streak on clay at the Italian Open.

At the age of 16, she logged a win over the legendary Billie-Jean King at the Wimbledon Championships of 1979. At the US Open that year, Tracy Austin was the 3rd seeded player. She beat multiple Grand Slam champions and tennis legends -- Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert in the semi-final and final to win the title at the age of 16 years, 8 months, 28 days, making her the youngest ever player to win the Women's Singles Championship at the US Open.