Top five oldest women's singles champions at Madrid Open

Three-time Madrid Open champion Petra Kvitova is second on the list.

Since its inception in 2009, the Madrid Open has become an important tournament on the WTA tour. Petra Kvitova is the most successful name at the Madrid Open, while tennis greats like Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova have also won the tournament.

The tournament isn’t that old, which is why it doesn’t have many older champions compared to other WTA 1000 events such as the Sunshine Doubles and the North American Swing. Without further ado, let’s take a look at the top five oldest women’s singles champions at the Madrid Open:

5. Maria Sharapova: 27 years and 22 days

Serena Williams’ two-year dominance ended after Maria Sharapova won the 2014 Madrid Open title. Top seed Williams had to withdraw because of a left thigh injury in the quarterfinals, giving Petra Kvitova a walkover. However, Kvitova lost to Romania’s Simona Halep in the semifinals. Fourth seed Halep faced Sharapova in the final and lost 1–6, 6–2, 6–3.

The five-time Grand Slam champion faced her toughest opponent on Madrid’s red dirt in the quarterfinals, where she faced China’s Li Na. However, the former Russian tennis star played well and won the match.

4. Kiki Bertens: 27 years, 5 months and 2 days

After ending as a runner-up in the 2018 edition, Kiki Bertens won her first and only title in the Spanish capital in 2019. Seeded seventh, the former Dutch tennis star excelled on the Spanish red soil over the likes of Naomi Osaka, Petra Kvitova, Simona Halep, Elina Svitolina, Ashleigh Barty and more. It was Kiki Bertens’ second and last WTA title on the tour.

3. Ons Jabeur: 27 years, 8 months and 10 days

The most recent name on the list, Ons Jabeur, secured a place on the list after she defeated the United States’ Jessica Pegula in the 2022 Madrid Open final. The two played a three-set tie, 7–5, 0–6, 6–2. Despite being bagged in the second set, the Tunisian tennis star maintained composure and won her only WTA 1000 title.

On her way to the final, she recorded wins over Jasmine Paolini, Varvara Gracheva, Belinda Bencic, Simona Halep, and Ekaterina Alexandrova.

2. Petra Kvitova: 28 years, 2 months and 5 days

Interestingly, Petra Kvitova is the youngest and also the second-oldest player to win the women’s singles event at the Madrid Open. Kvitova has won three Madrid Open titles, the most by any player in the event, and her last made her the second-oldest WTA star to win the competition. Seeded 10th, she started her campaign with a dominant win over Ukraine’s Lesia Tsurenko in straight sets.

She stunned wildcard Monica Puig in the second before eliminating Anett Kontaveit in the pre-quarterfinals. With a win over 14th seed Daria Kasatkina, Kvitova reached the semifinals. In the last four, she beat Karolina Pliskova and later stunned unseeded Kiki Bertens to win her last Madrid Open title.

1. Serena Williams: 31 years, 7 months and 16 days

Serena Williams is the only tennis player to win the women’s singles event in the Spanish capital after turning 30. The 23-time Grand Slam champion won the Madrid twice, and her titles came in two consecutive years (2012-13). Interestingly, Serena Williams faced Maria Sharapova in both editions (quarterfinals in 2012 and final in 2013) and won on both occasions.

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