margaret court defeated billie jean king 14–12, 11–9 to win the ladies' singles tennis title at the 1970 wimbledon championships. this was court's third wimbledon title, her third major tournament of the year, her fourth consecutive major title and her nineteenth major singles title overall. court became the first woman to complete a career grand slam in the open era. she would later win the us open, thus also becoming the first woman to win the grand slam in the open era. ann jones was the defending champion, but she didn't defend her title as she had retired from grand slam singles competition.