Just 2 weeks into the 2026 calendar year, the first Grand Slam of the tennis season is already upon us. The Australian Open is set to take place from January 18 to February 1 at Melbourne Park. Aryna Sabalenka is a 2-time champion and the #1 player in the world, so she heads into the upcoming fortnight as an obvious favorite. However, Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff and Elena Rybakina are among those who cannot be discounted. Let’s take a look at the odds and our Australian Open best bets to make for the women’s singles competition in Melbourne, while you can also find out our Australian Open men’s singles predictions, which includes a longshot at +10000 odds!
Odds available at BetMGM at time of publishing.
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Anisimova was incredible throughout last year, climbing to #4 in the rankings. She finished runner-up at each of the last 2 Grand Slams, falling to Swiatek at Wimbledon and to Sabalenka at the US Open. Now it’s time for Anisimova to get over the hump and capture her first major title. She has a great chance to do it in Melbourne, especially as the #4 seed. That allows her to avoid Sabalenka, Swiatek and Gauff at least until the semifinals (she would face Swiatek in the semis and either Sabalenka or Gauff in the championship match based on how the draw shook out on Thursday). Although the 24-year-old American has never made a deep run Down Under, this version of her has never been on display at this tournament.
Like Anisimova, Muchova is a former Grand Slam finalist but has not yet taken the next step to major glory. The 29-year-old is much more of a longshot as the #19 player in the world, but her relatively low ranking is largely due to injuries. When healthy, Muchova has been among the best players on tour for many years now. In addition to finishing runner-up at the 2023 French Open, the Czech has reached 3 other slam semifinals (including at the 2021 Australian Open) and 3 other quarterfinals. Muchova kicked off her 2026 campaign with a semifinal performance in Brisbane, where she defeated Rybakina before succumbing to Sabalenka.
Rybakina was runner-up to Sabalenka in 2023, so she knows what she in doing at Melbourne Park. In fact, the world #5 is generally quite good on any big stage around the world. She won Wimbledon in 2022, advanced to the semifinals at the All-England Club in 2024 and has reached three other slam quarterfinals. Rybakina ended last season on an 11-match winning streak, highlighted by a triumph at the WTA Finals. The 26-year-old Kazakh has a relatively favorable draw for this event opposite both Sabalenka and Gauff.
