Australian Open 2026: Top contenders for women’s singles title

With the new tennis season about to get underway, we are set to witness the first grand slam of the year – the 2026 Australian Open. 

Last year, the Slam at Melbourne Park witnessed a record crowd turnout both in the men’s and women’s categories. The Women’s Singles final was played between defending Champion Aryna Sabalenka and Madison Keys. Sabalenka was on course to make it a hat-trick of Australian Open titles but Keys spoiled her party and ended up winning her first grand slam. 

The Women’s Singles category being very competitive, it would be intriguing to witness if unpredictability rules women’s tennis yet again with different players winning the four grand slams or it would be a year of consistency that sees one or two top players sweeping up the big trophies. 

Here, we present our pick of the top contenders for the women’s singles title at the 2026 Australian Open.

Aryna Sabalenka

The current Women’s World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka has reached the last three consecutive finals at the Happy Slam, winning two titles and being the runner-up last year. Though she lost in the final of the year-ending WTA finals, Sabalenka has yet again started the season well with a title at the Brisbane International defeating Marta Kostyuk in straight sets. Hard courts suit her powerful style of tennis and there aren’t many who can out hit and out-perform the strong Belarussian at the Australian Open. 

Sabalenka has also shown great consistency for the past two years. In 2025, she reached the final of all grand slams except Wimbledon and won her second US Open title as well. 

Due to her affinity to the hard courts, form and consistency, Sabalenka remains the favourite for the Australian Open Women’s Singles title and even though she missed out last season, the powerful Belarussian could be on course to win her third Australian Open crown. 

Coco Gauff 

Coco Gauff is another player to watch out for at the Australian Open. A semi-finalist in 2024 and a quarter-final appearance in 2025, Gauff is someone who has done well on the hard courts at Melbourne Park. Being a previous champion at the US Open, we all know she has the ability to go all the way on hard courts. 

Gauff added another crown to her collection last season when she defeated Aryna Sabalenka at the 2025 French Open to win her second grand slam title. Gauff does possess the game, temperament and the mental fortitude to defeat anyone on her day. Barring a shock first round exit at Wimbledon, the American did well at all the other slams last year. 

Gauff also started the 2026 season well, beating rival Iga ?wi?tek in the United Cup, though USA failed to qualify for the finals as Poland won the overall tie. Gauff would definitely want to go one better and win her third slam at Melbourne Park this year and knowing that she can play power tennis with a booming serve, Gauff is yet another favourite to win the Australian Open this year. 

Iga Swiatek 

The former World No. 1, Iga Swiatek can never be written off when it comes to the grand slams. With six grand slams already in her glittering collection, the Australian Open is the only one she’s missing to complete a career Grand Slam. 

Grass wasn’t one of her favourite surfaces as she had always struggled there but ?wi?tek won her first Wimbledon title there last season – a testament to her improved skills and incredible mentality which helped her overcome her most difficult surface. Apart from the Wimbledon title, the Pole reached the semis of the Australian Open and the French Open and also made a quarter-final appearance at the US Open, showing her undeniable consistency at the slams. 

Though ?wi?tek had an underwhelming year by her usual high standards, when it comes to the big tournaments, she rarely disappoints. Having won the US Open once, ?wi?tek knows how to win on hard courts and therefore, she is again a prime contender for this year’s Australian Open as she also has an additional motivation of achieving a career grand slam.

Elena Rybakina 

Elena Rybakina is yet to win another grand slam after the 2022 Wimbledon title. While there is no doubt about her ability, it’s her inconsistent performances and off-court disturbances that has stopped her from winning the big tournaments. 

Rybakina didn’t have a great start to 2025 as she struggled with coaching changes, injuries and inconsistency which also saw her drop down the WTA rankings. However, the Kazakhstani player turned her form around in the latter half of the season, winning tour level tournaments and qualifying for the year-ending WTA Finals yet again. Rybakina then showed why she is such a threat as she went on to win the WTA Finals without dropping a match, also defeating the World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka to take the title home. 

She also reached the quarter-finals of the 2026 Brisbane International which was decent preparation for the Australian Open. A finalist there in 2023, Rybakina is surely one of the top contenders for the Women’s Singles title at Melbourne Park. 

Amanda Anisimova 

Without a doubt, Amanda Anisimova was the most improved women’s player last year. 

Being termed as a prodigious talent since her early days, Anisimova finally showed her capabilities by reaching two grand slam finals last year. Though she ended up losing both, Anisimova defeated some top players enroute to the showpiece finals and only missed clearing the final hurdle. Additionally, she also won a few WTA 1000 titles last season and reached a career high World No. 4 on the WTA rankings. Anisimova added another feather to her cap with her first WTA Finals qualification last year and managed to reach the semi-finals of the coveted tournament. 

Anisimova is a hard-hitting player who feels comfortable on the hard-court surface and would definitely love to play at Melbourne Park. She is also one of the few players who has gotten the better of Sabalenka on more than one occasion. 

In recent times, she has beaten most top-ranked players in the big tournaments, which could be a huge confidence booster for the American. Seeking her first grand slam title, Anisimova can also be deemed as one of the top contenders for the title at Melbourne Park this year.