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.