Who is the favourite to win the women’s Australian Open 2023?

The first tennis major of the new year kicks off at Melbourne Park on Monday 16 January 2023 as the Australian Open Grand Slam gets underway.

12 months ago Ashleigh Barty beat USA’s Danielle Collins 6-3, 7-6 in the final, becoming the first home player to win an Australian Open singles title since Chris O’Neil in 1978.

However, in March last year the then 25-year-old made a shock announcement to retire from the sport, whilst being the world number 1 at the time. Earlier this week she announced she is expecting her first child later this year.

4-time Grand Slam champion and 2021 women’s Australian Open champion Naomi Osaka will not be competing in this year’s tournament either as she too is pregnant.

Surprise 2020 champion Sofia Kenin has suffered from injuries since her success three years ago but is back. Now world number 280 and unseeded in the draw, she faces #24 seed Victoria Azarenka in the first round.

World number 1 and defending US Open champion Iga Swiatek is the favourite to win the 2023 women’s Australian Open. The sportsbooks have the Pole as 11/5 favourite.

The three-time Grand Slam champion is followed by Belarus’ Aryna Sabalenka, who is seeking her first Grand Slam trophy. The 24-year-old heads to Melbourne in fine form having won Adelaide International 1 this past weekend.

The top 20 favourites for the 2023 women’s Australian Open winner are as follows:

Iga Swiatek 11/5
Aryna Sabalenka 8/1
Jessica Pegula 10/1
Caroline Garcia 12/1
Ons Jabeur 12/1
Elena Rybakina 20/1
Barbora Krejcikova 22/1
Belinda Bencic 22/1
Maria Sakkari 25/1
Veronika Kudermetova 25/1
Danielle Collins 30/1
Madison Keys 33/1
Qinwen Zheng 33/1
Liudmila Samsonova 40/1
Beatriz Haddad Maia 40/1
Amanda Anisimova 50/1
Leylah Fernandez 50/1
Paula Badosa 50/1
Petra Kvitova 50/1
Victoria Azarenka 50/1