Top Contenders for the Australian Open 2025 Women’s Singles Title

As the new tennis season commences, all eyes would be fixated on the first Grand Slam of the year – the Australian Open. Last year, the Women’s Singles final had contrasting opponents – the defending champion in Aryna Sabalenka and a first-time Slam 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, taking home her second consecutive Australian Open trophy.

The new season will bring new challenges and opportunities for all players and considering the level of competition is extremely high and it would be interesting to see who takes the Australian Open crown this time around.

Here we take a look at Top 8 contenders for the Australian Open Women’s Singles title – 

Aryna Sabalenka (Belarus)

The two-time Australian Open winner, Aryna Sabalenka continued her dominance on the hard courts last year winning both the hard court slams. Sabalenka was hardly troubled by anyone in both majors 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 literally 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. She could go on and win the Australian Open for a third season running as this is quite clearly her most favoured surface.

Coco Gauff (USA)

Coco Gauff rose to fame as a prodigious talent 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 but she does prefer the hard courts at both the Australian Open and the US Open. She has a big serve and an exceptional backhand in her repertoire, add athleticism to that and she becomes a very dangerous opponent. She lost to Sabalenka in the Semi-finals last year and would like to make amends this time around. She is definitely a serious contender for the Australian Open title. 

Elena Rybakina (Kazakhstan)

Even though Elena Rybakina had a forgettable 2024 season marred with illness and injuries galore, she remains a formidable opponent and a contender here at the Australian Open. Her best result was probably the WTA titles early in the season and reaching Wimbledon Semi-finals She also dropped down in ranking to World No. 6. In the WTA Rankings.

Rybakina is an Australian Open finalist from 2023 and her 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. Powerful groundstrokes and a calm unwavering temperament, coupled with a new coach in the legendary Goran Ivanisevic, Rybakina would look to shrug off the disappointment of last year and start the new season with a bang. She remains a possible title contender at the Australian Open. 

Iga Swiatek (Poland)

Iga Swiatek held on to her World No. 1 ranking for most part of the season last year, only relinquishing it to Aryna Sabalenka at the end of the year. The Polish star had a great 2024 season winning her third consecutive French Open and winning five WTA titles. She remains the most consistent women’s player on the WTA Tour. 

Iga Swiatek’s style of play is very aggressive, hardly makes many unforced errors and possesses a great variety of shots, brilliant on both forehand and backhand and looks to dominate rallies. Even though she hasn’t had a great record at the Australian Open but owing to her consistency and all-round game, she is a prime contender for the title as she could look to regain her World No. 1 ranking back from Sabalenka. 

Jasmine Paolini (Italy)

The Italian World No. 4, Jasmine Paolini is a pocket-sized dynamite on court. Paolini had a breakthrough year in 2024 reaching back-to-back Grand Slam finals at the French Open and Wimbledon and winning 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 jumping 26 positions from World No. 30 in 2023 to World No. 4 in 2024, an absolutely stellar season for the Italian. 

Jasmine Paolini’s game is defined by her agility and athleticism on court. She has a great defence and runs to cover every inch of the court. She has a strong affinity for the baseline and possesses powerful groundstrokes. However, she has added benefits of playing regular doubles as well, her net game is strong as well. After two Slam final appearances last season, Paolini is definitely a strong contender for the Australian Open Singles title.

Qinwen Zheng (People’s Republic of China)

Qinwen Zheng had a fantastic 2024 season, reaching the Australian Open finals, consistent performances in all the grand slams, reaching the year end final of the WTA Finals and her crowning glory – the Olympic Gold at the Paris Olympics. Zheng has really impressed one and all with her performances all season, also rising to World No. 5 in the WTA Rankings. 

The Chinese player has all kinds of shots in her armour but she relies on her forehand and touch shots like drop shots and volleys more. She also has a decent serve which gives her an edge over her opponents. She reached the finals here last season and going by her form at the end of the year, Zheng would be looking to go the distance this time around. She could possibly replicate her compatriot former tennis player Li Na’s performance who won the Australian Open in 2014 after losing the title in the previous season. 

Barbora Krejcikova (Czech Republic)

Barbora Krejcikova is another surprise contender this time around. The multiple Grand Slam winner in Women’s doubles had a superb season in singles last year where she won the Wimbledon Championships, adding to her French Open title. She also broke into the Top 8 of the Women’s Singles rankings and made it to the WTA Finals in 2024 as well. 

Krejcikova is a very unpredictable opponent. She also has a strong mentality and doesn’t 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 is a formidable opponent as she has proven time and time again. She lost to Sabalenka in the quarters last year but with renewed confidence from last season, she would definitely be looking forward to going all the way this year. 

Jessica Pegula (USA)

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 always missed to reach the finals of Grand slams. She won two WTA Singles titles last year and also qualified for the season ending 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. She is a very hard-working player and had to grind for years to break into the Top 10. Having recently made it to a Grand Slam final has given her confidence that she could hold her own against the top ranked women’s players and this could be another instance of not just reaching the finals but also adding a grand slam title to her kitty.