1981 French Open – Women's doubles
# 1981 French Open – Women's doubles

The women's doubles tournament at the 1981 French Open was held from 25 May to 7 June 1981 on the outdoor clay courts at the Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France. Rosalyn Fairbank and Tanya Harford won the title, defeating Candy Reynolds and Paula Smith in the final.

## Seeds

* Kathy Jordan / Anne Smith (quarterfinals)
* Candy Reynolds / Paula Smith (final)
* Betsy Nagelsen / Martina Navratilova (semifinals)
* Hana Mandlíková / Betty Stöve (third round)
* Rosie Casals / Mima Jaušovec (second round)
* Chris Evert-Lloyd / Virginia Ruzici (quarterfinals)
* Sylvia Hanika / Andrea Jaeger (third round)
* Rosalyn Fairbank / Tanya Harford (champions)
* Leslie Allen / Virginia Wade (second round)
* Billie Jean King / Ilana Kloss (quarterfinals)
* Regina Maršíková / Renáta Tomanová (third round)
* Mary-Lou Piatek / Wendy White (second round)

## Draw

### Key

* Q = Qualifier
* WC = Wild card
* LL = Lucky loser
* Alt = Alternate
* SE = Special exempt
* PR = Protected ranking
* ITF = ITF entry
* JE = Junior exempt
* w/o = Walkover
* r = Retired
* d = Defaulted
* SR = Special ranking

### Finals

| Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Final | Final | Final | Final |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Kathy Jordan Anne Smith | 3 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | |
| 8 | Rosalyn Fairbank Tanya Harford | 6 | 7 | | | | | | | | | | |
| 8 | Rosalyn Fairbank Tanya Harford | 6 | 7 | | 8 | Rosalyn Fairbank Tanya Harford | 6 | 3 | 6 | | | | |
| | | | | | | Bettina Bunge Claudia Kohde-Kilsch | 3 | 6 | 2 | | | | |
| | Bettina Bunge Claudia Kohde-Kilsch | 6 | 7 | | | Bettina Bunge Claudia Kohde-Kilsch | 3 | 6 | 2 | | | | |
| | Glynis Coles Naoko Sato | 4 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Glynis Coles Naoko Sato | 4 | 6 | | | | | | | 8 | Rosalyn Fairbank Tanya Harford | 6 | 6 |
| | | | | | | | | | | 2 | Candy Reynolds Paula Smith | 1 | 3 |
| 6 | Chris Evert-Lloyd Virginia Ruzici | 5 | 6 | 5 | | | | | | | | | | 2 | Candy Reynolds Paula Smith | 1 | 3 |
| 3 | Betsy Nagelsen Martina Navratilova | 7 | 2 | 7 | | | | | | | | | |
| 3 | Betsy Nagelsen Martina Navratilova | 7 | 2 | 7 | 3 | Betsy Nagelsen Martina Navratilova | 4 | 5 | | | | | |
| | | | | | 2 | Candy Reynolds Paula Smith | 6 | 7 | | | | | |
| 10 | Billie Jean King Ilana Kloss | 6 | 3 | | 2 | Candy Reynolds Paula Smith | 6 | 7 | | | | | |
| 2 | Candy Reynolds Paula Smith | 7 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | |

### Top half

**Section 1**

| First round | First round | First round | First round | Second round | Second round | Second round | Second round | Second round | Third round | Third round | Third round | Third round | Third round | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | K Jordan A Smith | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Y Brzáková A Buchanan | 1 | 2 | 1 | K Jordan A Smith | 3 | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | P Medrado C Monteiro | 6 | 4 | 3 | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | 1 | K Jordan A Smith | 6 | 6 | | | | | |
| | C Franch S Provoust | 1 | 2 | | | | | | | J Durie D Jevans | 2 | 1 | | | | | |
| | J Durie D Jevans | 6 | 6 | | J Durie D Jevans | 7 | 3 | 6 | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | D Desfor T Lewis | 6 | 6 | 3 | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 1 | K Jordan A Smith | 3 | 6 |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 8 | R Fairbank T Harford | 6 | 7 |
| | | | | 9 | L Allen V Wade | 7 | 5 | 8 | | | | | | | | | |
| | L duPont B Jordan | 6 | 6 | | L duPont B Jordan | 6 | 7 | 10 | | | | | | | | | |
| | R Blount K Latham | 3 | 4 | | | | | | | L duPont B Jordan | 6 | 3 | 2 | | | | |
| | E Vessies M Wikstedt | 3 | 4 | | | | | | 8 | R Fairbank T Harford | 4 | 6 | 6 | | | | |
| | S Collins H Strachoňová | 6 | 6 | | S Collins H Strachoňová | 4 | 6 | 7 | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | 8 | R Fairbank T Harford | 6 | 4 | 9 | | | | | | | | | |

**Section 2**

| First round | First round | First round | First round | First round | Second round | Second round | Second round | Second round | Second round | Third round | Third round | Third round | Third round | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 4 | H Mandlíková B Stöve | w/o | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | K Horvath K Sands | | | | 4 | H Mandlíková B Stöve | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | D Freeman C O'Neil | 1 | 2 | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | 4 | H Mandlíková B Stöve | 0 | 4 | | | |
| | B Bunge C Kohde-Kilsch | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | B Bunge C Kohde-Kilsch | 6 | 6 | | | |
| | K Gulley A Tobin | 0 | 2 | | | B Bunge C Kohde-Kilsch | 7 | 6 | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | 12 | M-L Piatek W White | 6 | 3 | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | B Bunge C Kohde-Kilsch | 6 | 7 |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | G Coles N Sato | 4 | 6 |
| | | | | | | B Remilton P Vásquez | 4 | 6 | | | | | | | | |
| | I Budařová K Skronská | 6 | 3 | 2 | | G Coles N Sato | 6 | 7 | | | | | | | | |
| | G Coles N Sato | 4 | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | G Coles N Sato | 6 | 7 | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | L Forood A Hobbs | 3 | 6 | | | |
| | | | | | | L Forood A Hobbs | 0 | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | |
| | J Mundel S Rollinson | 2 | 7 | 0 | 5 | R Casals M Jaušovec | 6 | 2 | 2 | | | | | | | |
| 5 | R Casals M Jaušovec | 6 | 5 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | | | |

### Bottom half

**Section 3**

| First round | First round | First round | First round | Second round | Second round | Second round | Second round | Second round | Third round | Third round | Third round | Third round | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 6 | C Evert-Lloyd V Ruzici | 6 | 7 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | F Thibault C Vanier | 1 | 6 | 6 | C Evert-Lloyd V Ruzici | 3 | 6 | 7 | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | F Dürr P Teeguarden | 6 | 3 | 5 | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | 6 | C Evert-Lloyd V Ruzici | 6 | 6 | | | | | |
| | N Gregory M Pinterová | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | N Gregory M Pinterová | 4 | 4 | | | | | |
| | N Bohm E Ekblom | 4 | 3 | | N Gregory M Pinterová | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | D Gilbert J Portman | 4 | 2 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | 6 | C Evert-Lloyd V Ruzici | 5 | 6 | 5 |
| 11 | R Maršíková R Tomanová | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | 3 | B Nagelsen M Navratilova | 7 | 2 | 7 |
| | D-h Lee A Minter | 2 | 4 | 11 | R Maršíková R Tomanová | 7 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | E Pfaff L Sandin | 6 | 2 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | 11 | R Maršíková R Tomanová | 6 | 1 | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | 3 | B Nagelsen M Navratilova | 7 | 6 | | | | | |
| | | | | | G Benedetti A Temesvári | 2 | 4 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | D Beillan C Perea | 0 | 6 | 3 | B Nagelsen M Navratilova | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | |
| 3 | B Nagelsen M Navratilova | 6 | 7 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

**Section 4**

| First round | First round | First round | First round | Second round | Second round | Second round | Second round | Third round | Third round | Third round | Third round | Third round | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 7 | S Hanika A Jaeger | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | C Jollisaint M Mesker | 1 | 1 | 7 | S Hanika A Jaeger | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | C Newton P Whytcross | 3 | 4 | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | 7 | S Hanika A Jaeger | 6 | 2 | 4 | | | | |
| | J Goodling J Harrington | 5 | 4 | | | | | 10 | BJ King I Kloss | 0 | 6 | 6 | | | | |
| | M Pakker M van der Torre | 7 | 6 | | M Pakker M van der Torre | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | 10 | BJ King I Kloss | w/o | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | 10 | BJ King I Kloss | 6 | 3 |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | 2 | C Reynolds P Smith | 7 | 6 |
| | | | | | P Johnson I Villiger | 2 | 6 | | | | | | | | | |
| | S Margolin A White | 6 | 6 | | S Margolin A White | 6 | 7 | | | | | | | | | |
| | K Jones K Rinaldi | 0 | 0 | | | | | | S Margolin A White | 0 | 0 | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | 2 | C Reynolds P Smith | 6 | 6 | | | | | |
| | | | | | L Romanov M Romanov | 5 | 2 | | | | | | | | | |
| | M Madruga A Villagrán | 6 | 2 | 2 | C Reynolds P Smith | 7 | 6 | | | | | | | | | |
| 2 | C Reynolds P Smith | 7 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
