Justine Henin-Hardenne defeated her compatriot Kim Clijsters in the final, 6–0, 6–4, to win the women's singles tennis title at the 2003 French Open. This was Henin-Hardenne's first Grand Slam singles title, making her the first Belgian tennis player, male or female, to win a major tournament. Serena Williams was the defending champion, but she was defeated by Henin-Hardenne in the semifinals, ending her winning streak of thirty-three major matches.
This was the final Grand Slam appearance of former world No. 1 and 9-time Grand Slam champion Monica Seles, as she was upset by Nadia Petrova in the first round. This was Seles' only first round loss in her Grand Slam career. It was also the first French Open appearance for future world No. 1 and five-time Grand Slam winner Maria Sharapova, who was defeated by Magüi Serna in the first round.
The final between Henin-Hardenne and Clijsters made Belgium the third country (the other ones are Australia and the United States) to have had two countrywomen play in a Grand Slam final in the Open Era.