Australian Open Women's Singles Preview – CopyBet
There are only two weeks from the start of the new tennis year until the first of the four Grand Slam tournaments and that’s why many observers feel the Australian Open, the first major to be contested, is the most brutal of the four, especially as it takes place in baking heat Down Under.
The sport of tennis had few better feel-good moments last year than at Melbourne Park, where seasoned pro Madison Keys pipped two-time champion Aryna Sabalenka in the women’s final to ditch her Grand Slam singles maiden tag.
But 12 months on, the oddsmakers reckon Sabalenka is well placed to regain the Melbourne Park crown and add to her 2023 and 2024 Australian Open titles.
Australian Open Women's Singles
Sabalenka took time to reach the top of the rankings - she spent years wondering how to leapfrog former top woman Iga Swiatek. But since making it to the pinnacle of her chosen sport, keen learner Sabalenka has held an iron-like grip on her status as the WTA Tour player to beat and she’s unlikely to let that go any time soon.
Key to her success in that regard has been her dominance at the Australian Open. Following her Melbourne Park triumphs in 2023 and 2024, last year saw a hiatus when Keys worked wonders to topple the champion.
But this year the oddsmakers reckon it is Sabalenka’s for the taking - she is the 15/8 favourite and it’s 9/2 bar the market leader and 14/1 bar the first five in the betting - and it’s difficult to disagree with the bookmakers’ stance.
Despite always being a fine battler on court, Sabalenka’s emotions used to cost her dear. However, with the aid of her coach Anton Dubrov, the number of fiery outbursts from the Belarusian has decreased and these days there are way more positives to her game than negatives.
And that, more often than not, spells trouble for Sabalenka’s opponents. Swiatek, Elena Rybakina, Amanda Anisimova, Coco Gauff and Mirra Andreeva are all top performers and capable of troubling Sabalenka on their day.
But given the selection’s dominance in general, and especially at the Australian Open, which surely has to be her favourite Grand Slam tournament at this stage of her career, it’s difficult to make a solid case for any of those five players downing Sabalenka.
Gauff has the potential to be the world’s best female player and it may not be long before she works out how to go all the way in Melbourne, but before that penny drops for the American it’s worth sticking with Sabalenka.
Australian Open Women's Singles
If anyone could deny the tournament favourite, it may be two-time Australian Open winner Naoki Osaka.
This Slam is Osaka’s home major and so it’s reasonable to assume that she will be giving her absolute all in trying to add to her four Slam singles titles.
It’s open to question whether Osaka will ever do that, but punters should remember that she was one of the better recent Slam champions.
And while much water has run under the bridge since the Japanese ace last lifted major silverware, Osaka is in a better place mentally these days than she was when topping the WTA chart.
Osaka remains capable of beating the best, so it wouldn’t take much for her to turn on the style Down Under.