Australian Open: Top 5 contenders for womens singles Grand Slam

Australian Open 2022 Grand Slam tournament has
started on Monday at Melbourne Park. It will see rising and experienced
veterans lock horns to win the prestigious slam. With the likes of Serena
Williams, Karolina Pliskova and Jennifer Brady missing the tournament, the
likes of Naomi Osaka and home favourite Ashleigh Barty will look to lift the women’s singles title.

Also Read: Australian Open 2022: With Novak Djokovic out, who are five men’s players to watch out for

As the Australian Open kicked off on Monday, Opoyi picks five contenders for the women’s singles title.

Iga Swiatek

Iga Swiatek is just 20 now and she has
already won a Grand Slam crown in 2020 when she defeated Sofia Kenin in the
French Open final. At the Australian Open, the Polish emerging star has made
two consecutive fourth-round finish in 2020 and 2021. As she has been
consistently improving her performance, the world No. 9 will be in contention
for the Australian Open women’s singles title this year.

Also Read: Australian Open 2022: Rafael Nadal beats Marcos Giron, advances to 2nd round

Garbine Muguruza

28-year-old Garbine Muguruza has won two
Grand Slam titles at French Open (2016) and Wimbledon (2017) and in 2020 she
came very close to winning the Australian Open when she lost the final to Sofia
Kenin. But the world No. 3 Spaniard is known for her giant-killing act. She
will head into the Australian Open 2022 as one of the strongest contenders for
the women’s singles title. Venezuela born Muguruza will begin her campaign on
Tuesday against Clara Burel of France.

Also Read: Australia Open: Naomi Osaka advances to second round, beats Camila Osorio

Aryna Sabalenka

Sabalenka is a 23-year-old Belarusian
tennis player. Ranked 2 on WTA rankings, Sabalenka has not yet won a Grand Slam
title. But she got the ability to hit smashes at194km/hr speed. Her powerful serves make
her a nightmare for opponents. But one thing that she is lacking is experience.
It was mainly because of her inexperience that she failed to break into the
semifinals at Grand Slam events. Sabalenka will play veteran Australian player
Storm Sanders on Tuesday.

Also Read: Tunisian Ons Jabeur makes Wimbledon history; to face Aryna Sabalenka in last 8

Ashleigh Barty

World No. 1 women’s singles specialist
Australia’s Ashleigh Barty is one of the strongest contenders for the
Australian Open women’s singles title. Though she is yet to taste success at
her home Grand Slam event, Barty won the French Open (2019) and Wimbledon (2021).
Despite her success abroad, Barty could not surpass the hurdle of the Australia
Open semifinal. In 2020, she lost the semifinal against Sofia Kenin.

Also Read: After being deported from Australia, Novak Djokovic lands in Dubai

Australian Open 2022 serves as another
opportunity for Barty to make her moment at home memorable.

Naomi Osaka

Despite her declining ranking, Naomi Osaka
is a favourite for this year’s Australian Open women’s singles title. She is
the defending champion and began her title defence in style on Monday when she
defeated Colombia’s Camila Osorio 6-3 6-3.

Also Read: Naomi Osaka withdraws from tournament semifinal at Melbourne

The winner of the 2019 and 2021 Australian
Open, Osaka is the only one in the women’s singles category this year to have
lifted the trophy twice. Osaka has a whopping 85% win rate at the Australian
Open. She will look to make it three this time around.