With the new tennis season about to get underway, all eyes will be fixed on the first Grand Slam of 2025—the Australian Open.
Last year, the Women’s Singles final at the Australian Open had contrasting opponents—the defending champion, Aryna Sabalenka, faced a first-time finalist in Qinwen Zheng. The Chinese had come through a relatively easy draw but gave a good account of herself. However, Sabalenka proved too good on the day and took home her second consecutive Australian Open trophy.
The new season will bring new challenges and opportunities for all players. Considering the level of competition, it would be interesting to see who takes the Australian Open crown this time around.
Here, we present to you our top eight picks for the 2025 Australian Open Women’s Singles title.
The two-time Australian Open winner continued her dominance on the hard courts last year, winning both the hard-court slams. Sabalenka was hardly troubled by anyone in either major and quite simply looked invincible. She also ended the 2024 season ranked World No. 1.
Sabalenka has a great serve coupled with thunderous groundstrokes. She outclasses opponents with the speed of her returns and winners. But she isn’t all brute force; Sabalenka has improved her deftness and touch, adding another layer to her game with drop shots and volleys in between the baseline play.
Sabalenka may very well go on and win the Australian Open for a third season running, as this is quite clearly her most-favoured surface.
Coco Gauff rose to fame as a prodigious talent by becoming the youngest player to qualify for the Wimbledon main draw in 2019. Since then, the young American has come a long way, winning her first Grand Slam at the 2023 US Open and recently winning the WTA Finals in 2024. She is currently ranked World No. 3 in the WTA Rankings.
Gauff has a game suited to all surfaces, though she does prefer the hard courts at both the Australian Open and US Opens. She has a big serve and an exceptional backhand in her repertoire; her athleticism on top of that makes a very dangerous opponent.
The 20-year-old lost to Sabalenka in the semi-finals of last year’s Australian Open and would like to make amends this time round. She is definitely a serious contender for the title this year.
Even though Elena Rybakina has had a year marred with illness and injuries, she remains a formidable opponent and a contender at the 2025 Australian Open. Her best result in 2024 was probably the WTA titles early in the season and reaching the Wimbledon semis, though she did drop down in world rankings and is currently World No. 6.
An Australian Open finalist in 2023, Rybakina’s style of play is suited to the hard courts at Melbourne Park. She has the best serve on the women’s tour currently and can match the likes of Sabalenka and Gauff shot for shot.
Rybakina’s powerful groundstrokes, a calm, unwavering temperament, and a new coach in the shape of the legendary Goran Ivanisevic make her ready to shrug off the disappointment of this year and start the new season with a bang.
Iga Swiatek held on to her World No. 1 ranking for most part of the season this past season, only relinquishing it to Sabalenka at the very end. The Polish star had a great 2024 as she won her third consecutive French Open alongside five WTA titles. She is currently the most consistent player on the WTA circuit.
Swiatek’s style of play is very aggressive. She hardly makes unforced errors and possesses a great variety of shots—brilliant on both forehand and backhand as she looks to dominate rallies.
Even though she hasn’t had a great record at the Australian Open, owing to her consistency and all-round game, Swiatek remains a prime contender for the Australian Open title this year and could regain her World No. 1 ranking back from Sabalenka as well.
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The Italian World No. 4 is a pocket-sized dynamite on court. Paolini had a breakthrough year in 2024 as she reached back-to-back Grand Slam finals—at the French Open and Wimbledon—and won a Doubles Olympic Gold with Sara Errani at the Paris Olympics. Even though she lost at the US Open in the Round of 16, Paolini had a great season that saw her jump 26 positions from World No. 30 in 2023 to World No. 4 in 2024.
Paolini’s game is defined by her agility and athleticism. She has a great defence and runs to cover every inch of the court. She also has a strong affinity for the baseline and possesses powerful groundstrokes. Additionally, she has added benefits of playing regular doubles and has a strong net game.
After two Grand Slam final appearances last season, Paolini would want to go all the way in at least once in the coming season.
Qinwen Zheng too had a fantastic 2024 as she reached the Australian Open finals, had consistent performances at all the Grand Slams, reached the year-end WTA Finals, and won Gold at Paris 2024. Zheng’s impressive performances rose her to fifth in the WTA Rankings.
The 22-year-old has all kinds of shots in her armour but relies mostly on her forehand and touch shots like drop shots and volleys. She also has a decent serve, which gives her an edge over her opponents.
Zheng reached the Australian Open finals last season. Going by her form at the end of the year, she’ll be looking to go the distance this time round, possibly replicate her compatriot Li Na’s performance, who won the Australian Open in 2014 after losing the title the season before.
Barbora Krejcikova is another surprise contender this time round. The multiple Grand Slam winner in the Women’s Doubles circuit had a superb season in singles as well last season as she won the Wimbledon Championships, adding to her French Open title. She broke into the Top 8 of the Women’s Singles rankings and made it to the WTA Finals as well.
Krejcíková is an unpredictable opponent that does not give up easily. Her success in the doubles game has also ensured she has a well-rounded game. Adept at both baseline and net play, the Czech player has proven herself as a formidable opponent time and again. She lost to Sabalenka in the Australian Open quarters last year, but with renewed confidence she would look forward to going all the way this year.
Jessica Pegula showed incredible run of form to reach her first Grand Slam final at the 2024 US Open, beating Iga Swiatek and Karolina Muchová on the way. The American has performed consistently on the WTA Tour but has always missed to reach Grand Slam finals. She won two WTA Singles titles last year and also qualified for the season-end WTA Finals, ranked World No. 7.
Pegula’s style of play is consistent from the baseline. She has powerful groundstrokes and prefers to move around the baseline. However, she has improved her net game and mobility on court as well. Making it to a Grand Slam final has given her the confidence to hold her own against the top-ranked players, something she could capitalise on to add the Australian Open title to her kitty.
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