The championships were not held from 1915-1918 and 1940-1945 owing to the two World Wars.
| Year held | Winner | Finalist | Score |
| 2003 | Serena Williams (United States) | Venus Williams (United States) | 4:6 6:4 6:2 |
| 2002 | Serena Williams (United States) | Venus Williams (United States) | 6(4):7(7) 3:6 |
| 2001 | Venus Williams (United States) | Justine Henin (Belgium) | 6:1 3:6 6:0 |
| 2000 | Venus Williams (United States) | Lindsay Davenport (United States) | 6:3 7(7):6(3) |
| 1999 | Lindsay Davenport (United States) | Steffi Graf (Germany) | 6:4 7:5 |
| 1998 | Jana Novotna (Czech Republic) | Nathalie Tauziat (France) | 6:4 7:6 |
| 1997 | Martina Hingis (Switzerland) | Jana Novotna (Czech Republic) | 2:6 6:3 6:3 |
| 1996 | Steffi Graf (Germany) | Aranxta Sanchez Vicario (Spain) | 6:3 7:5 |
| 1995 | Steffi Graf (Germany) | Aranxta Sanchez Vicario (Spain) | 4:6 6:1 7:5 |
| 1994 | Conchita Martinez (Spain) | Martina Navratilova (United States) | 6:4 3:6 6:3 |
| 1993 | Steffi Graf (Germany) | Jana Novotna (Czech Republic) | 7:6 1:6 6:4 |
| 1992 | Steffi Graf (Germany) | Monica Seles (Yugoslavia) | 6:2 6:1 |
| 1991 | Steffi Graf (Germany) | Gabriela Sabatini (Argentina) | 6:4 3:6 8:6 |
| 1990 | Martina Navratilova (United States) | Zina Garrison (United States) | 6:4 6:1 |
| 1989 | Steffi Graf (West Germany) | Martina Navratilova (United States) | 6:2 6:7 6:1 |
| 1988 | Steffi Graf (West Germany) | Martina Navratilova (United States) | 5:7 6:2 6:1 |
| 1987 | Martina Navratilova (United States) | Steffi Graf (West Germany) | 7:5 6:3 |
| 1986 | Martina Navratilova (United States) | Hana Mandlikova (Czechoslovakia) | 7:6 6:3 |
| 1985 | Martina Navratilova (United States) | Chris Evert (United States) | 4:6 6:3 6:2 |
| 1984 | Martina Navratilova (United States) | Chris Evert (United States) | 7:6 6:2 |
| 1983 | Martina Navratilova (United States) | Andrea Jaeger (United States) | 6:0 6:3 |
| 1982 | Martina Navratilova (United States) | Chris Evert (United States) | 6:1 3:6 6:2 |
| 1981 | Chris Evert (United States) | Hana Mandlikova (Czechoslovakia) | 6:2 6:2 |
| 1980 | Evonne Goolagong Cawley (Australia) | Chris Evert (United States) | 6:1 7:6 |
| 1979 | Martina Navratilova (Czechoslovakia) | Chris Evert (United States) | 6:4 6:4 |
| 1978 | Martina Navratilova (Czechoslovakia) | Chris Evert (United States) | 2:6 6:4 7:5 |
| 1977 | Virginia Wade (United Kingdom) | Betty Stove (Netherlands) | 4:6 6:3 6:1 |
| 1976 | Chris Evert (United States) | Evonne Goolagong Cawley (Australia) | 6:3 4:6 8:6 |
| 1975 | Billie Jean King (United States) | Evonne Goolagong Cawley (Australia) | 6:0 6:1 |
| 1974 | Chris Evert (United States) | Olga Morozova (USSR) | 6:0 6:4 |
| 1973 | Billie Jean King (United States) | Chris Evert (United States) | 6:0 7:5 |
| 1972 | Billie Jean King (United States) | Evonne Goolagong (Australia) | 6:3 6:3 |
| 1971 | Evonne Goolagong (Australia) | Margaret Smith Court (Australia) | 6:4 6:1 |
| 1970 | Margaret Smith Court (Australia) | Billie Jean King (United States) | 14:12 11:9 |
| 1969 | Ann Haydon Jones (United Kingdom) | Billie Jean King (United States) | 3:6 6:3 6:2 |
| 1968 | Billie Jean King (United States) | Judy Dalton Tegart | 9:7 7:5 |
| 1967 | Billie Jean King (United States) | Ann Haydon Jones (United Kingdom) | 6:3 6:4 |
| 1966 | Billie Jean King (United States) | Maria Bueno | 6:3 3:6 6:1 |
| 1965 | Margaret Smith (Australia) | Maria Bueno | 6:4 7:5 |
| 1964 | Maria Bueno | Margaret Smith (Australia) | 6:4 7:9 6:3 |
| 1963 | Margaret Smith (Australia) | Billie Jean Moffitt (United States) | 6:3 6:4 |
| 1962 | Karen Susman | Vera Sukova | 6:4 6:4 |
| 1961 | Angela Mortimer | Christine Truman | 4:6 6:4 7:5 |
| 1960 | Maria Bueno | Sandra Reynolds | 8:6 6:0 |
| 1959 | Maria Bueno | Darlene Hard | 6:4 6:3 |
| 1958 | Althea Gibson (United States) | Angela Mortimer | 8:6 6:2 |
| 1957 | Althea Gibson (United States) | Darlene Hard | 6:3 6:2 |
| 1956 | Shirley Fry | Angela Buxton | 6:3 6:1 |
| 1955 | Louise Brough | Beverly Fleitz | 7:5 8:6 |
| 1954 | Maureen Connolly (United States) | Louise Brough | 6:2 7:5 |
| 1953 | Maureen Connolly (United States) | Doris Hart | 8:6 7:5 |
| 1952 | Maureen Connolly (United States) | Louise Brough | 7:5 6:3 |
| 1951 | Doris Hart | Shirley Fry | 6:1 6:0 |
| 1950 | Louise Brough | Margaret Osborne duPont | 6:1 3:6 6:1 |
| 1949 | Louise Brough | Margaret Osborne duPont | 10:8 1:6 10:8 |
| 1948 | Louise Brough | Doris Hart | 6:3 8:6 |
| 1947 | Margaret Osborne | Doris Hart | 6:2 6:4 |
| 1946 | Pauline Betz | Louise Brough | 6:2 6:4 |
| 1939 | Alice Marble | Kay Stammers | |
| 1938 | Helen Wills Moody (United States) | Helen Jacobs | |
| 1937 | Dorothy Round | Jadwiga Jedrzejowska | |
| 1936 | Helen Jacobs | Hilde Krahwinkel Sperling | |
| 1935 | Helen Wills Moody (United States) | Helen Jacobs | |
| 1934 | Dorothy Round | Helen Jacobs | |
| 1933 | Helen Wills Moody (United States) | Dorothy Round | |
| 1932 | Helen Wills Moody (United States) | Helen Jacobs | |
| 1931 | Cilly Aussem | Hilde Krahwinkel | |
| 1930 | Helen Wills Moody (United States) | Elizabeth Ryan | |
| 1929 | Helen Wills (United States) | Helen Jacobs | |
| 1928 | Helen Wills (United States) | Lili de Alvarez | |
| 1927 | Helen Wills (United States) | Lili de Alvarez | |
| 1926 | Kitty McKane Godfree | Lili de Alvarez | |
| 1925 | Suzanne Lenglen (France) | Joan Fry | |
| 1924 | Kitty McKane Godfree | Helen Wills | |
| 1923 | Suzanne Lenglen (France) | Kitty McKane Godfree | |
| 1922 | Suzanne Lenglen (France) | Frances Mallory | |
| 1921 | Suzanne Lenglen (France) | Elizabeth Ryan | |
| 1920 | Suzanne Lenglen (France) | Dorothea Douglass Chambers | |
| 1919 | Suzanne Lenglen (France) | Dorothea Douglass Chambers | |
| 1914 | Dorothea Douglass Chambers | Ethel Larcombe | |
| 1913 | Dorothea Douglass Chambers | Winifred McNair | |
| 1912 | Ethel Larcombe | Charlotte Cooper Sterry | |
| 1911 | Dorothea Douglass Chambers | Dora Boothby | |
| 1910 | Dorothea Douglass Chambers | Dora Boothby | |
| 1909 | Dora Boothby | Agatha Morton | |
| 1908 | Charlotte Cooper Sterry | Agatha Morton | |
| 1907 | May Sutton | Dorothea Douglass Chambers | |
| 1906 | Dorothea Douglass | May Sutton | |
| 1905 | May Sutton | Dorothea Douglass | |
| 1904 | Dorothea Douglass | Charlotte Cooper Sterry | |
| 1903 | Dorothea Douglass | Ethel Thomson | |
| 1902 | Muriel Robb | Charlotte Cooper Sterry | |
| 1901 | Charlotte Cooper Sterry | Blanche Bingley Hillyard | |
| 1900 | Blanche Bingley Hillyard | Charlotte Cooper | |
| 1899 | Blanche Bingley Hillyard | Charlotte Cooper | |
| 1898 | Charlotte Cooper | Louise Martin | |
| 1897 | Blanche Bingley Hillyard | Charlotte Cooper | |
| 1896 | Charlotte Cooper | Alice Simpson Pickering | |
| 1895 | Charlotte Cooper | Helen Jackson | |
| 1894 | Blanche Bingley Hillyard | Edith Austin | |
| 1893 | Lottie Dod | Blanche Bingley Hillyard | |
| 1892 | Lottie Dod | Blanche Bingley Hillyard | |
| 1891 | Lottie Dod | Blanche Bingley Hillyard | |
| 1890 | Lena Rice | M. Jacks | |
| 1889 | Blanche Bingley Hillyard | Lena Rice | |
| 1888 | Lottie Dod | Blanche Bingley Hillyard | |
| 1887 | Lottie Dod | Blanche Bingley Hillyard | |
| 1886 | Blanche Bingley | Maud Watson | |
| 1885 | Maud Watson | Blanche Bingley | |
| 1884 | Maud Watson | Louise Watson | |