Australian Open 2026: These women's singles players are title contenders
What's the story
The Australian Open 2026 is set to start from January 18 onward in Melbourne. This is the 2026 season's maiden Grand Slam event and will played on hard courts. In women's singles, Madison Keys of the USA won the 2025 event, beating Aryna Sabalenka. Notably, Sabalenka is seeded number one this season with Keys being 9th. Here are the title contenders this season.
#1
Aryna Sabalenka is aiming to claim a third AO honor
Women's singles world number one, Sabalenka, warmed up for AO 2026 by winning the Brisbane International. She defeated Marta Kostyuk 6-4, 6-3 to capture her 22nd title on the WTA Tour. Coming to the Grand Slams, Sabalenka owns a 100-26 win-loss record. She is a four-time Grand Slam winner and three-time runners-up. She has won the Australian Open twice and is a runner-up once.
#2
Iga Swiatek searches for her maiden AO honor
Seeded 2nd, Polish international Iga Swiatek will be aiming to win her maiden AO honor. The star player is a two-time semi-finalist here in Melbourne and owns a 22-7 win-loss record. Overall in Grand Slams, she has lifted six women's singles titles, owning a 6-0 record in finals. Her win-loss record reads 104-21. She has won 25 career singles titles on the WTA Tour.
#3
Amanda Anisimova aims to reach third successive Grand Slam final
Seeded fourth behind Coco Gauff, USA's Amanda Anisimova can throw a challenge in this year's Australian Open. She ended the 2025 season on a high, reaching the finals of both Wimbledon and US Open. She will now aim to reach a third successive Slam final and perhaps look to win a maiden title. She is 44-23 at Grand Slams and 10-6 at AO.
Contenders
Who are the other big guns?
Third seed Gauff is a two-time Grand Slam winner in women's singles. She will want to claim a maiden AO crown, having reached the semis in 2024. She is 16-6 at AO. 2025 WTA Finals winner, Elena Rybakina, was a finalist at AO in 2023. Rybakina, who is a one-time Slam winner, is 59-22 at Grand Slams. At AO, she is 14-6.