Sabalenka, Swiatek, Gauff, Keys and Venus Williams highlight the 2026 Australian Open women's field

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A look at some of the women to watch at the Australian Open, which starts at Melbourne Park on Sunday (Saturday night EST), with money-line odds via BetMGM Sportsbook:

Seeded: 1

Career-Best Ranking: 1

Country: Belarus

Age: 27

Career Titles: 22

Grand Slam Titles: 4 — Australian Open (2: 2023, 2024), U.S. Open (2: 2024, 2025)

Last 5 Australian Opens: 2025-Runner-Up, 2024-Won Championship, 2023-W, 2022-Lost in 4th, 2021-4th

Aces: Reached the past three finals at Melbourne Park, winning twice and losing to Madison Keys a year ago. ... Add in the U.S. Open, and she's been to each of the last six hard-court Grand Slam finals, winning four. ... Held the No. 1 ranking since October 2024. In 2025, she joined Serena Williams and Ash Barty as the only women since 2000 to lead the WTA every week during a full calendar year. ... 19 of 22 career titles came on hard courts. ... Won 43 of her past 47 matches against players ranked outside the top 20. ... Opened 2026 with a title at a tune-up tournament in Brisbane.

She Said It: “It’s tennis, it’s sport, and that’s why it’s so beautiful, because you cannot predict anything.”

Read All About It: Sabalenka is the first woman since Serena Williams with consecutive US Open titles

Odds Are: +240

Seeded: 2

Career-Best Ranking: 1

Country: Poland

Age: 24

Career Titles: 25

Grand Slam Titles: 6 — U.S. Open (1: 2022), French Open (4: 2020, 2022, 2023, 2024), Wimbledon (1: 2025)

Last 5 Australian Opens: 2025-SF, 2024-3rd, 2023-4th, 2022-SF, 2021-4th

Aces: The Australian Open is the lone Grand Slam tournament she hasn't won, bowing out in the semifinals a year ago and in 2022. If she adds that title to her collection, she would be the 11th woman with a career Slam. ... She is 6-0 in major finals. ... Is the first woman with at least four 60-victory seasons in a row since Martina Hingis and Lindsay Davenport both had their streaks end after 2001.

She Said It: “Just thinking about one swing, only tournaments in Australia. Then, after I’m done with that, I’ll think about the next one.”

Read All About It: Iga Swiatek won Wimbledon after a difficult year

Odds Are: +400

Seeded: 3

Career-Best Ranking: 2

Country: United States

Age: 21

Career Titles: 11

Grand Slam Titles: 2 — French Open (2025), U.S. Open (2023)

Last 5 Australian Opens: 2025-QF, 2024-SF, 2023-4th, 2022-1st, 2021-2nd

Aces: Could face Venus Williams in the second round. Gauff's Grand Slam debut at age 15 in 2019 was a victory over Williams at Wimbledon. ... Had by far the most double-faults on the WTA Tour in 2025, with 431. No one else had more than 300. ... Topped Forbes' list of highest-earning female athletes for the second year in a row in 2025, with more than $30 million in prize money and endorsements. ... Last year became the youngest American woman since Serena Williams in 2002 to earn at least 10 wins against top-10 opponents.

She Said It: “I would like to go deep in all the Slams this year. Obviously, I would like to touch the No. 1 ranking.”

Read All About It: Coco Gauff reworked her serve during last year's US Open

Odds Are: +600

Seeded: 4

Career-Best Ranking: 3

Country: United States

Age: 24

Career Titles: 4

Grand Slam Titles: Zero — Best: Runner-Up, Wimbledon (2025), U.S. Open (2025)

Last 5 Australian Opens: 2025-2nd, 2024-4th, 2023-1st, 2022-4th, 2021-Did Not Play

Aces: Reached her first two Grand Slam finals during a breakthrough 2025, finishing as the runner-up to Swiatek at Wimbledon and to Sabalenka at the U.S. Open. ... The Australian Open is now the only major where she hasn’t been past the fourth round; she’s been to at least the semifinals at all three others. ... Has big strokes and possesses what might just be the best backhand on tour.

She Said It: “It was a great year for me. I was really happy with my consistency throughout, and I feel like I had a lot of new experiences and a lot of lessons learned to go into this year.”

Read All About It: Anisimova uses wins over Osaka and Swiatek to reach the US Open final

Odds Are: +900

Seeded: 9

Career-Best Ranking: 5

Country: United States

Age: 30

Career Titles: 10

Grand Slam Titles: 1 — Australian Open (2025)

Last 5 Australian Opens: 2025-W, 2024-DNP, 2023-3rd, 2022-SF, 2021-DNP

Aces: Captured her first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open a year ago, upsetting Swiatek in the semifinals and Sabalenka in the final. ... Best career moments have come on hard courts, including a runner-up showing at the U.S. Open in 2017 and six of her total seven major semifinal appearances. ... Lost in the first round at Flushing Meadows in her most recent Grand Slam tournament.

She Said It: “I finally got to the point where (winning a major) didn’t matter anymore, and I didn’t need it anymore. And then I still got it because I wanted it.”

Read All About It: Madison Keys credits therapy for helping her on and off the tennis court

Odds Are: +2000

Ranked: 576 (Not seeded)

Career-Best Ranking: 1

Country: United States

Age: 45

Career Titles: 49

Grand Slam Titles: 7 — U.S. Open (2: 2000, 2001), Wimbledon (5: 2000, 2001, 2005, 2007, 2008)

Last 5 Australian Opens: 2025-DNP, 2024-DNP, 2023-DNP, 2022-DNP, 2021-2nd

Aces: Hadn't played at any Grand Slam tournament in two full years until the U.S. Open last August and will be appearing in her second in a row after receiving a wild card from Tennis Australia. ... This is her 22nd appearance at Melbourne Park; the first was in 1998. She was the runner-up here to younger sister Serena in 2003 and 2017. ... After 16 months away from the tour, Williams returned to action in July at Washington, winning one match in singles and one in doubles. ... She will be the oldest player to compete in singles at the Australian Open.

She Said It: “It does not get old; it just gets more exciting.”

Read All About It: Venus Williams' return to Grand Slam tennis meant more than the result

Odds Are: Not Listed

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Howard Fendrich has been the AP’s tennis writer since 2002. Find his stories here: https://apnews.com/author/howard-fendrich. More AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis