Margaret Court was the two-time reigning champion, but did not participate this year.
This tournament marked the first major in which future world No. 1 and 18-time major singles champion Chris Evert competed in the main draw; she lost to King in the semifinals. Evert competed in 19 consecutive US Opens until her retirement in 1989, and failed to reach the semifinals only twice in that span.
Seeds
The seeded players are listed below. Billie Jean King is the champion; others show the round in which they were eliminated.