1981 US Open – Women's singles qualifying

Players who neither had high enough rankings nor received wild cards to enter the main draw of the annual US Open Tennis Championships participated in a qualifying tournament held over several days before the event.

Seeds
• # 🇺🇸 Tina Mochizuki (qualified)

• # 🇦🇺 Linda Cassell (first round)

• # Nanette Schutte (first round)

• # 🇺🇸 Marita Redondo (first round)

• # 🇺🇸 Lucy Gordon (qualifying competition, Lucky loser)

• # 🇧🇷 Cláudia Monteiro (first round)

• # Mariëtte Pakker (first round)

• # 🇺🇸 Shelley Solomon (first round)

• # 🇫🇷 Marie-Christine Calleja (qualified)

• # 🇺🇸 Jill Davis (qualifying competition, Lucky loser)

• # 🇸🇪 Catrin Jexell (first round)

• # 🇺🇸 Joni Urban (second round)

• # 🇦🇺 Pam Whytcross (first round)

• # 🇬🇧 Kate Brasher (qualified)

• # 🇺🇸 Felicia Hutnick (qualified)

• # 🇺🇸 Heather Ludloff (second round)

Qualifiers
• # 🇺🇸 Tina Mochizuki

• # 🇺🇸 Leigh-Anne Thompson

• # 🇬🇧 Kate Brasher

• # 🇺🇸 Felicia Hutnick

• # 🇫🇷 Marie-Christine Calleja

• # 🇺🇸 Barbara Gerken

• # 🇺🇸 Jean Hepner

• # 🇺🇸 Kate Gompert

Lucky losers
• # 🇺🇸 Jill Davis

• # 🇺🇸 Lucy Gordon

• # 🇺🇸 Jodi Appelbaum-Steinbauer

• # 🇭🇺 Beatrix Klein