Not since Martina Hingis last century has a women’s singles player done what Aryna Sabalenka will attempt to do at the 2025 Australian Open, which begins on Sunday (Saturday in the U.S.).
Sabalenka, 26, is trying to three-peat at the season’s first major championship, which Hingis did from 1997-99. Few seem to have a chance at slowing down the Belarusian, who won the Brisbane title to kick off her 2025.
Let’s look at the top contenders of the 2025 Australian Open women’s singles draw.
Aryna Sabalenka
UTR Rating 12.94
Sabalenka certainly has momentum on her side. She’s won the past two Australian Open titles, the past two hard-court major championships, and all of her 2025 matches (5-0). A semifinal with 2023 US Open champion Coco Gauff could be in the cards, although Sabalenka doesn’t have a walkover of a draw. She faces 2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens in the first round and a potential fourth-round title against Paris Olympics gold medalist Qinwen Zheng of China.
Iga Swiatek
UTR Rating 12.99
Swiatek is looking to reach her first Australian Open final in a major championship where major success has largely eluded the Pole. She has started strong Down Under this year, going 8-2 at the United Cup.
A matchup with Gauff might worry Swiatek’s faithful, but the two can’t meet until the final. This will be Swiatek’s first Grand Slam with new coach Wim Fissette, who formerly worked with Zheng, Angelique Kerber, and Naomi Osaka, among others.
Coco Gauff
UTR Rating 12.95
Gauff looked out of it at the 2024 US Open. She failed to defend her maiden major crown and lost to compatriot Emma Navarro in the fourth round.
But the 20-year-old Gauff has looked very with it since that defeat on Sept. 1, 2024. Gauff has since won 18 of her past 20 matches, including titles in Beijing, the WTA Finals in Riyadh, and at the United Cup, a team competition. Sprinkled throughout those 18 wins are victories against some of the best in the WTA, including against Sabalenka, Svitolina, Zheng, and two against Swiatek.
Elena Rybakina
UTR Rating 12.87
The sixth-seeded Rybakina reached the 2023 Australian Open final and will look to bounce back after her subpar third-round showing at last year’s final Grand Slam.
Paula Badosa
UTR Rating 12.81
The 2024 WTA Comeback Player of the Year has an outside chance of making a run in Australia, according to UTR Sports INSIGHTS. Badosa could meet 2024 US Open finalist Jessica Pegula in the round of 16.
Emma Navarro
UTR Rating 12.68
The eighth-seeded Navarro meets 2022 NCAA women’s singles champion Peyton Stearns in the opening round. Navarro is a sleeper pick to win her first major title in 2025. Stearns, the 2023 Universal Tennis Foundation Hurd Award recipient, reached the US Open fourth round that same year and is currently ranked No. 47.
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