1981 Avon Championships of Detroit – Singles

Billie Jean King was the defending champion.

Unseeded Leslie Allen won the title, defeating top-seeded Hana Mandlíková in the final 6–4, 6–4.

Seeds
A champion seed is indicated in bold text while text in italics indicates the round in which that seed was eliminated.


 * 1)  Hana Mandlíková (final)
 * 2) 🇦🇺 Wendy Turnbull (quarterfinals)
 * 3) 🇺🇸 Pam Shriver (semifinals)
 * 4) 🇷🇴 Virginia Ruzici (quarterfinals)
 * 5)  Regina Maršíková (first round)
 * 6)  Mima Jaušovec (quarterfinals)
 * 7) 🇬🇧 Sue Barker (second round)
 * 8) 🇺🇸 JoAnne Russell (first round)