The season-opening Grand Slam event, Australian Open 2025, is scheduled to begin on Sunday. In the women’s singles category, all eyes will be on Aryna Sabalenka, who is the defending champion and current World No. 1. The spotlight will also be on Iga Swiatek, who lost her no. 1 spot to Sabalenka last year. The Polish star recently served a one-month ban, which ended in December last year. She tested positive for a prohibited substance in an out-of-competition sample in August last year, and then the ITIA accepted her defense that the contamination was due to non-regulated medication melatonin, which was manufactured and sold in Poland.
Last year, Sabalenka defeated China’s Zheng Qinwen in the final 6-3 6-2 to clinch her second AUS Open title, and also her second major singles title overall. The Belarusian did not concede a set during the tournament, and lost only 31 games in total. She became the first player to defend the title since Victoria Azarenka in 2013. Later in 2024, she also won the US Open, to make it three Grand Slam titles.
Here are the top-five title contenders-
5.Zheng Qinwen
Having finished as the runner-up last year, Qinwen had her season-best campaign in 2024. She bagged a historic Olympic gold, a strong run in Melbourne, defeating Swiatek, and also a Japan Open title.
Her main opponent will be Sabalenka, and she will look to become the second Chinese player to win a singles Grand Slam title.
4. Naomi Osaka
Osaka returned to action after a 15-month maternity leave in January last year. She has failed to find her footing since her return, and is also a two-time AUS Open champion, winning the title in 2019 and 2021.
Last year, Osaka lost in the first round in Melbourne. She was forced to retire from the Auckland Classic final recently due to an abdominal injury, but revealed that she was optimistic about playing in Melbourne.
3. Elena Rybakina
Having won the Wimbledon title in 2022, Rybakina will be looking to perform a similar feat in Melbourne. She lost to Sabalenka in the 2023 final, and has now hired Djokovic’s former coach Goran Ivanisevic for the 2025 season.
The Kazakh also helped her country reach the United Cup semi-finals last year, before losing to Iga Swiatek’s Poland.
2. Iga Swiatek
Having lost her No. 1 spot to Sabalenka last year, Swiatek is on a mission this year to reclaim her position. A doping scandal has overshadowed her Australian Open preparations, and the title in Melbourne has remained elusive in her career.
She has faced Sabalenka 12 times in 2021, and leads 8-4 in official competitions. At the 2024 Madrid Open final, Swiatek defeated Sabalenka in three sets after three hours and 11 minutes, saving three championship points too.
1. Aryna Sabalenka
The defending champion, and also a two-time women’s singles winner in Melbourne, Sabalenka was named WTA Player of the Year last year. She climbed to the No. 1 spot in the rankings, and also won her third Grand Slam title at the US Open. She is in good form and began the new season by winning the Brisbane International, defeating Renata Zarazua, Yulia Putintseva, Marie Bouzkova and Mirra Andreeva to reach the final. Then she came back from a set down to defeat Polina Kudermetova in the summit clash.
