Youngest players to win Grand Slam singles title

Winning a grand slam is every?tennis player?s dream. But there is a special breed of players who have achieved this milestone?at very early stage,?not only in their careers but also life. Here is a look at the youngest players to win grand slam singles titles:

Steffi Graf — 17?years, 357?days

Steffi Graf is arguably the best woman player to grace the game. Her 22 grand slam singles titles speak on her behalf. The German achieved success at a very early age. She won her first grand slam title 8 days before her 18th?birthday, making her 10th?youngest player in the history to win a singles title at slams. She did it at 1987 French Open, beating Martina Navratilova 6?4, 4?6, 8?6 in a hardly-fought match. Navratilova was 30 years old at that time, making a 12 year difference between the two.

Serena Williams — 17 years, 350 days

Serena Williams has been the dominant name in women’s tennis for quite some years now. The American has already won 21 singles grand slam titles, but she won her first title before she entered adulthood. Her first slam came in front of her home crowd as she won the 1999 US open, beating Martina Hingis 6?3, 7?6(7?4). He opponent was herself a 19 year old teenager. The win was beginning of an era that still exists.

Mats Wilander — 17 years, 293 days

Former world number one Mats Wilander of Sweden has several records to his name. He is the youngest player to win four grand slam titles. He is 8th?on our list of the youngest player to win grand slam singles title list. He defeated Guillermo Vilas 1?6, 7?6(8-6), 6?0, 6?4 at 1982 French Open. Vilas was 30 years old at that time. Wilander went on to win 7 grand slam titles.

Boris Becker — 17 years, 228 days

7th?on the list is the legend Boom Boom Becker. Creating history as he became the first unseeded player to win the prestigious Wimbledon title in 1985, he also became the?youngest man to win a grand slam title at that time. ?Ranked 20th?at that time, Wimbledon only seeded player till rank 16 at that time. His opponent in the final was Kevin Curren. 27 at that time, Curren had defeated John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors on his journey to the finals, becoming the only player to defeat the two in the same tournament. In a closely fought final, Becker came out on top with a 6?3, 6?7(4?7), 7?6(7?3), 6?4 win. Becker went on to win 6 grand slam singles titles. He currently is the coach of world number one, Novak Djokovic.

Arantxa S?nchez — 17 years, 174 days

Arantxa S?nchez Vicario was destined for greatness. Born in a tennis family, both of her elder brothers went on to become professional tennis players. But it was the little sister who achieved most of the success. Nicknamed “Barcelona Bumblebee”, she was famous for her never-give-up attitude. Becoming a sensation, she won her grand slam single title at 1989 Roland Garros, defeating the world number one Steffi Graf ?7?6(8?6), 3?6, 7?5 in the final at an age of 17 years and 174, a world record at that time. Sanchez went on to win 3 more single grand slam titles.

Michael Chang — 17 years, 110 days

Michael Chang burst into tennis scene as he set many ?youngest ever record? at junior level. But the biggest record he ever achieved, and which still stands, is the youngest man to win a grand slam single title. Interestingly, the American achieved the record in the same slam in which our previous entry in the list did. He defeated Sweden?s Stefan Edberg (Aged 23 at that time) 6?1, 3?6, 4?6, 6?4, 6?2, in a thrilling final. Sadly, Chang was one of those players who peaked early, as this was his only title at the biggest stage of them all, though he did reach finals of Australian Open and US open in the year 1996.

Maria Sharapova — 17 years, 75 days

Next on our list is no stranger. The Russian has been among the most popular sportsperson for quite some time now. Known for not only her tennis, but her good looks too, Sharapova won her first singles title at a very early age. Aged just at 17 years and 75 days at the time, she breezed past Venus Williams 6?1, 6?4, in the final of Wimbledon 2004. The Russian never looked back as she continued her development as one of the finest women tennis players. Though she had injuries problems throughout her career, she has so far won 5 grand slam single titles.

Tracy Austin — 16 years, 270 days

Tracy Austin became the youngest winner of US open in the year of 1979. She defeated fellow American, legendary Chris Evert, 6?4, 6?3. Evert, 25 at that time was at peak of her career and clear favorite to win the title. But the display by Austin made her an instant legend. She went on to win another US open title two years later. She is also the youngest inductee of all time in the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

Monica Seles — 16 years, 189 days

Just a year after Arantxa S?nchez set the record for the youngest player to win a grand slam title, Monica Seles of Yugoslavia broke it. Seles was seeded number two for the 1990 French Open, after already winning 6 titles that year. As in the case of Sanchez, Seles too met Steffi Graf in the final. And once again, Graf was beaten by a 7?6(8?6), 6?4 score-line. She followed this success with a wonderful two years, winning 9 slam titles in her career. Seles was just 16 years and 189 days old at when she defeated Graf making her the youngest player to win a slam title. She held the record for 7 years, until it was broken by the next and final entry in our list.

Martina Hingis — 16?years, 117?days

When it comes to great Swiss players, Roger Federer usually overshadows most of his compatriots. But Martina Hingis is the one who actually started the trend. The first ever Swiss player to win a grand slam, Hingis created history when she won the 1997 Australian Open, at only an age of 16 years and 3 months. Playing Mary Pierce in the final, she stormed past the French player winning comfortably with a score line of 6-2, 6-2. Her opponent was 6 years her senior. Hingis did not stop there, she won all the Grand Slams that year, finishing her career with 5 single grand slams titles.