See main article: 1987 US Open (tennis).
Defending champion Martina Navratilova defeated Steffi Graf in the final, 7–6(7–4), 6–1 to win the women's singles tennis title at the 1987 US Open. It was her fourth US Open singles title and 17th major singles title overall.
Six-time champion Chris Evert lost in the quarterfinals to Lori McNeil. This marked the first time Evert lost before the semifinals at the US Open, ending a streak of 17 consecutive semifinal appearances.
This was the first time since the 1980 US Open that neither Navratilova nor Evert were the top seed at a major.
The seeded players are listed below. Martina Navratilova is the champion; others show the round in which they were eliminated.
See main article: 1987 US Open – Women's singles qualifying.