Martina Hingis defeated Jana Novotná in the final, 2–6, 6–3, 6–3 to win the ladies' singles tennis title at the 1997 Wimbledon Championships. It was her second major singles title. At 16 years and 278 days old, Hingis was the youngest player to win a Wimbledon singles title since Lottie Dod in 1887. It was Novotná's second runner-up finish at Wimbledon.