The first tennis Grand Slam of 2026 begins Sunday, Jan. 18 from the hard courts of Melbourne, Australia, with the first action taking place Sunday morning down under, which will still be Saturday evening in the U.S. Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek have separated themselves from the pack as the top two players on the WTA Tour, but they have faced far more resistance from the rest of the field compared to the ATP top two of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz. Swiatek (five) and Sabalenka (four) have combined to win nine of the last 15 Grand Slam events, but there are more than a handful of legitimate title contenders in the Australian Open women's singles draw.
Before we get to the favorites, contenders and sleepers at the Australian Open, let's acknowledge some notable injuries and absences. Qinwen Zheng (elbow) and Veronika Kudermetova (undisclosed) will miss the tournament due to injuries, while Danielle Collins and the pregnant Ons Jabeur also aren't among the Australian Open entrants. A few other women listed in the draw were dealing with injuries prior to the tournament but appear ready to give it a go, the most notable of which is Marketa Vondrousova (shoulder).
The list of legitimate title contenders is much longer in the women's draw compared to the men's draw, but Sabalenka's the clear player to beat as the world No. 1 chases her third Australian Open title in four years. After each player's name below, you will see their title odds
The first tennis Grand Slam of 2026 begins Sunday, Jan. 18 from the hard courts of Melbourne, Australia, with the first action taking place Sunday morning down under, which will still be Saturday evening in the U.S. Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek have separated themselves from the pack as the top two players on the WTA Tour, but they have faced far more resistance from the rest of the field compared to the ATP top two of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz. Swiatek (five) and Sabalenka (four) have combined to win nine of the last 15 Grand Slam events, but there are more than a handful of legitimate title contenders in the Australian Open women's singles draw.
Before we get to the favorites, contenders and sleepers at the Australian Open, let's acknowledge some notable injuries and absences. Qinwen Zheng (elbow) and Veronika Kudermetova (undisclosed) will miss the tournament due to injuries, while Danielle Collins and the pregnant Ons Jabeur also aren't among the Australian Open entrants. A few other women listed in the draw were dealing with injuries prior to the tournament but appear ready to give it a go, the most notable of which is Marketa Vondrousova (shoulder).
The list of legitimate title contenders is much longer in the women's draw compared to the men's draw, but Sabalenka's the clear player to beat as the world No. 1 chases her third Australian Open title in four years. After each player's name below, you will see their title odds from DraftKings Sportsbook.
Australian Open WTA Picks
The Favorite for the 2026 Australian Open
Aryna Sabalenka (+185) - Sabalenka had a 20-match winning streak at the Australian Open snapped by Madison Keys in the 2025 final, as the top-ranked Belarusian came one win shy of a threepeat down under. After making the final of each of the last six hard-court Grand Slams (winning four), Sabalenka seems like a shoo-in for another deep run, despite a tricky early draw that includes four-time Australian Open quarterfinalist Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova as a potential second-round opponent and No. 28 seed Emma Raducanu -- who pushed Sabalenka to a third-set tiebreak in their last meeting -- in the third round. Things only get tougher from there with No. 14 Clara Tauson or No. 17 Victoria Mboko in the Round of 16, No. 7 seed Jasmine Paolini as Sabalenka's chalk quarterfinal opponent, and No. 3 Coco Gauff or No. 8 Mirra Andreeva potentially waiting in the semifinals. Sabalenka's relentless power off the ground and underrated variety will make her a favorite in any of those matchups, but she's accurately pegged as a clear underdog against the deep WTA field.
In the Mix for the 2026 Australian Open
Iga Swiatek (+500) - Swiatek's second-half resurgence in 2025 included an unlikely title at Wimbledon, where she had previously struggled, so it would be foolish to count out the two-time Australian Open semifinalist completely, but Swiatek's game remains better suited for slower court conditions than those in Melbourne. The world No. 2 brings a well-rounded mix of offense and defense coupled with a championship mentality that has helped Swiatek go 6-0 in Grand Slam finals while losing just one set across those six matches. Her early draw is unremarkable, but Swiatek could face off against four-time hard-court Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka in the Round of 16, kicking off a treacherous stretch that could include No. 5 seed Elena Rybakina in the quarterfinals, then one of Keys or her American compatriots Amanda Anisimova or Jessica Pegula in the semis.
Coco Gauff (+700) - Gauff's another player who does her best work in slower conditions, as she's just 16-6 at the Australian Open in her career, peaking at a semifinal showing in 2024. To get back to that point in this tournament, the third-seeded American may have to get by No. 8 seed Mirra Andreeva, who has succeeded the 21-year-old Gauff as the WTA Tour's most promising teenager. Prior to a potential quarterfinal showdown against Andreeva, Gauff could face Marketa Vondrousova in the third round and one of Emma Navarro or Karolina Muchova in the Round of 16. None of those players have the power to hit through Gauff's elite defense, but they can all control play with variety.
Elena Rybakina (+800) - Rybakina has risen back to No. 5 in the rankings on the heels of a strong finish to 2025, as the big server won the last 11 matches she played to close out last year, capping that run with a win over Sabalenka in the WTA Finals championship match. Various ailments and injuries have prevented Rybakina from playing her best tennis at times in recent years, but she's right up there with the WTA Tour's best when firing on all cylinders and is the clear favorite to make it to the quarterfinals from a section of the draw with No. 10 seed Belinda Bencic. Rybakina has a respectable 5-6 head-to-head record against potential QF opponent Swiatek.
Amanda Anisimova (+900) - Anisimova was a finalist at each of the last two Grand Slams of 2025, avenging her Wimbledon double-bagel against Swiatek at the U.S. Open before falling to Sabalenka in the championship match in New York. Having overcome some personal tragedies and mental struggles, the 24-year-old American is finally playing up to her potential as one of the game's cleanest ball strikers. The No. 4 seed is part of an American-heavy section, with 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin as a possible third-round opponent and either Keys or Pegula in the quarterfinals, with Linda Noskova or Jelena Ostapenko on Anisimova's path in between those potential all-American matchups.
Mirra Andreeva (+1600), Naomi Osaka (+2500) and Madison Keys (+3000) also come in with title odds of +3000 or better. Andreeva demonstrated her immense upside by winning hard-court WTA 1000 titles in Dubai and Indian Wells last year. The 18-year-old Russian reached the Round of 16 in each of her previous two Australian Open appearances and has made the French Open semifinals and Wimbledon quarterfinals, showcasing an all-court skill set built around both athleticism and variety. Osaka hadn't made it past the third round of a Grand Slam since winning her fourth major at the 2021 Australian Open until her semifinal run at the 2025 U.S. Open, which announced her return to the top tier of the women's game and propelled her back into the top 20. If she faces Swiatek in the Round of 16, it could be the biggest pre-quarterfinal match of the tournament. Keys is the defending champion but just missed out on a top-eight seed, which significantly complicates her path. The big-hitting American could face No. 6 seed Pegula, No. 4 seed Anisimova, No. 2 seed Swiatek and No. 1 seed Sabalenka back-to-back-to-back-to-back to defend her title.
Sleepers for the 2026 Australian Open
Marketa Vondrousova (+10000) - Vondrousova has been a contender for big titles when healthy, winning Wimbledon in 2023 in addition to reaching the French Open final in 2021 and taking home an Olympic silver medal on the hard courts of Tokyo in 2021. She had just worked her way back to top form after a multi-month layoff due to a shoulder injury in 2025 when a knee injury prevented her from taking the court in the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open against Sabalenka. Given Vondrousova's injury history, it's concerning that she withdrew from Adelaide citing a shoulder injury, but she certainly has the game to make a deep run if that exit turns out to be mostly precautionary. The No. 32 seed could face Gauff in the third round.
Barbora Krejcikova (+10000) - Krejcikova's another injury-prone Czech with championship pedigree. The 2021 French Open champion and 2024 Wimbledon champion reached the quarterfinals of the Australian Open in her last appearance here in 2024 but missed the 2025 event due to a back injury. Healthy and coming off a quarterfinal result at the 2025 U.S. Open, Krejcikova's much more dangerous than her No. 55 ranking suggests. The unseeded floater draws No. 23 Diana Shnaider in the first round and could eventually face No. 12 Elina Svitolina in the third round and Andreeva in the Round of 16. Krejcikova's willingness to take risks in big moments allows her to play most matches on her terms, fueling deep runs when she gets in a groove.
Maya Joint (+15000) - There have been plenty of teenage success stories on the WTA Tour in recent years, and the Australian crowd would love nothing more than for the 19-year-old Joint to add her name to that list. The young Aussie won a pair of WTA 250-level titles last year, climbing into the seeded range to begin 2026 at a career-high No. 32 ranking and earning the 30th seed here. Joint has yet to post a breakthrough result at a bigger tournament, but she could quickly put her name on the map here with a potential opportunity to notch the biggest win of her young career in the third round against Rybakina.
Australian Open Prediction
I'm picking Mirra Andreeva to break through for her first Grand Slam title, beating Rybakina in the final. Andreeva has had some trouble handling hostile crowds, but a slight uptick in mental maturity is all that's needed for the 18-year-old Russian to take the next step and become a perennial Grand Slam title contender, as she possesses all the tools and has already beaten most of the WTA Tour's best players in big moments.
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