See main article: article and 2008 US Open (tennis).
Serena Williams defeated Jelena Janković in the final, 6–4, 7–5 to win the women's singles tennis title at the 2008 US Open. It was her third US Open singles title and ninth major singles title overall. This was also her second US Open and third major overall won without losing a set during the tournament. With the win, she regained the world No. 1 singles ranking for the first time since 2003. Three of the top four seeds were in contention for the No. 1 ranking at the start of the tournament.
Justine Henin was the reigning champion, but retired from the sport in May 2008.
This was the final singles major appearance for 1998 champion and former world No. 1 Lindsay Davenport, who was defeated by Marion Bartoli in the third round.
Julie Coin, ranked as the world No. 188, defeated the world No. 1 Ana Ivanovic in the second round, making her the lowest-ranked player ever to defeat a world No. 1.
See main article: article and 2008 US Open – Women's singles qualifying.
| Category |  S. Williams |  Janković | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st serve % | 45/73 (62%) | 65/95 (68%) | |
| 1st serve points won | 27 of 45 = 60% | 35 of 65 = 54% | |
| 2nd serve points won | 15 of 28 = 54% | 13 of 30 = 43% | |
| Total service points won | 42 of 73 = 57.53% | 48 of 95 = 50.53% | |
| Aces | 3 | 3 | |
| Double faults | 3 | 4 | |
| Winners | 44 | 15 | |
| Unforced errors | 39 | 22 | |
| Net points won | 32 of 37 = 86% | 11 of 17 = 65% | |
| Break points converted | 5 of 16 = 31% | 3 of 8 = 38% | |
| Return points won | 47 of 95 = 49% | 31 of 73 = 42% | |
| Total points won | bgcolor=98FB989 | 89 | 79 |
| Source | |||