| Event: | Women's singles tennis |
| Games: | 1920 Summer |
| Venue: | Beerschot Tennis Club |
| Dates: | 16–24 August 1920 |
| Competitors: | 18 |
| Nations: | 7 |
| Gold: | Suzanne Lenglen |
| Goldnoc: | FRA |
| Silver: | Dorothy Holman |
| Silvernoc: | GBR |
| Bronze: | Kathleen McKane Godfree |
| Bronzenoc: | GBR |
| Prev: | 1912 |
| Next: | 1924 |
| Quadrennial: | yes |
| Multi: | yes |
| Type: | mixed |
| Before Year: | 1912 |
The women's singles was a tennis event held as part of the Tennis at the 1920 Summer Olympics programme. A total of 18 players from 7 nations competed in the event, which was held from 16 to 24 August 1920 at the Beerschot Tennis Club.[1] The event was won by Suzanne Lenglen of France, defeating Dorothy Holman of Great Britain in the final. It was the second consecutive victory for a French woman, with Marguerite Broquedis winning the pre-war 1912 tournament. Kathleen McKane Godfree of Great Britain defeated Sigrid Fick of Sweden in the bronze-medal match.
Lenglen's victory was comprehensive, as she lost only 4 games in her 5 matches (1 to Fick in the semifinals, 3 to Holman in the final).
This was the fourth appearance of the women's singles tennis. A women's event was held only once during the first three Games (only men's tennis was played in 1896 and 1904), but has been held at every Olympics for which there was a tennis tournament since 1908. Tennis was not a medal sport from 1928 to 1984, though there were demonstration events in 1968 and 1984.[2]
France's Suzanne Lenglen was the "dominant women's player in the world, and considered by some as the greatest female player of all time." She highlighted a strong field, including top British players Dorothy Holman and Kathleen McKane Godfree. Absent were Molla Mallory (a bronze medalist for Norway in 1912 who had emigrated to the United States; in 1921, she would be the only woman to beat Lenglen post-war), Dorothea Douglass Lambert Chambers of Great Britain (the 1908 Olympic gold medalist and seven-time Wimbledon winner, who had reached the Wimbledon finals in 1919 and 1920, losing both to Lenglen), and Elizabeth Ryan of the United States (long-time doubles partner of Lenglen, who would reach the 1921 Wimbledon singles final against her).[2]
Belgium, Denmark, and Italy each made their debut in the event. France and Great Britain each made their third appearance, tied for most among nations to that point.
The competition was a single-elimination tournament with a bronze-medal match. All matches were best-of-three sets.
| Date | Time | Round | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday, 16 August 1920 | Round of 32 | ||
| Tuesday, 17 August 1920 Wednesday, 18 August 1920 | Round of 16 | ||
| Thursday, 19 August 1920 Friday, 20 August 1920 Saturday, 21 August 1920 Sunday, 22 August 1920 Monday, 23 August 1920 | Quarterfinals Semifinals | ||
| Tuesday, 24 August 1920 | Bronze medal match Final |