Kim Clijsters defeated Mary Pierce in the final, 6–3, 6–1 to win the women's singles tennis title at the 2005 US Open. It was her first major singles title, following four runner-up finishes in major finals.
Svetlana Kuznetsova was the defending champion, but was defeated by Ekaterina Bychkova in the first round. Kuznetsova was the first US Open champion to lose in the first round of their title defense.[1]
This marked the final major appearance of former world No. 2 and 1994 Wimbledon champion Conchita Martínez.