Women’s singles began at the Australian Championships in 1922. The tournament was then known as the Australasian Championships, and its first women’s singles event was held in Sydney.
Maud “Mall” Molesworth won that inaugural championship, defeating Esna Boyd in the final. Molesworth successfully defended the title the following year, becoming the first two-time women’s singles champion in the tournament’s history.
The 1922 program also introduced women’s doubles and mixed doubles. This is why some historical summaries describe 1922 as the year women’s competition was added to the championships, even though the tournament itself had begun in 1905.
A common mix-up comes from the event’s changing names. It was called the Australasian Championships from 1905 to 1926, the Australian Championships from 1927 to 1968, and the Australian Open from 1969 onward. Thus, 1922 is the correct year for the beginning of women’s singles, not 1927, the year the “Australian Championships” name came into use.