1981 Avon Championships of Houston – Singles

Billie Jean King was the defending champion.

Second-seeded Hana Mandlíková won the title, defeating unseeded Bettina Bunge 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) 🇺🇸 Tracy Austin (withdrew)
 * 2)  Hana Mandlíková (champion)
 * 3) 🇺🇸 Barbara Jordan (semifinals)
 * 4)  Mima Jaušovec (semifinals)