By Shrivathsa Sridhar
MELBOURNE, Jan 15 (Reuters) – Australian Open favourite Aryna Sabalenka headlines a powerful cast of characters at Melbourne Park along with Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff as they look to shape the early-season narrative at the year’s opening Grand Slam.
While the women’s game has been more open than the men’s in recent years, the trio sparked a shift in momentum by sweeping nine of the last 12 Grand Slams and Sabalenka will head to Melbourne bidding for her third Australian Open crown.
In addition to claiming a fifth Grand Slam title overall, the Belarusian will be looking to make amends for last year’s stunning loss to American Madison Keys in the final.
Sabalenka has already built momentum after reaching her third successive final in Brisbane, where she beat Marta Kostyuk for the title, but the 27-year-old said there is no way to predict what will happen on the Grand Slam stage.
“It’s tennis, it’s sport and that’s why it’s so beautiful because you can’t predict anything,” Sabalenka said when asked about expectations for the season after her Brisbane triumph.
“It’s like every day you go out there and prove your level.
“The only one thing I’m sure of is that I’ll be there, I’ll be fighting … my focus is on my game, on developing myself and making sure that I’m strong and healthy.”
After claiming her first Wimbledon crown last year, Swiatek will now set her sights on the missing piece of her puzzle – an Australian Open title that would complete a career Grand Slam.
A strong performance at the tournament could also open up a pathway back towards the world No. 1 ranking but Swiatek, who reached the semi-finals 12 months ago, is not focusing on that or the Grand Slam milestone.
“Both of those things are big goals and hard to achieve,” Swiatek told reporters at the United Cup, which she ended with defeats by Gauff and Belinda Bencic.
“There’s a long way to get there. At a Grand Slam you have to really play great for two weeks, not have any bad days and be consistent.
“Achieving number one is also tough, especially when Aryna has been playing great for the last few years. I’ll just focus on myself because that’s the only way to go.
“I don’t need to choose which one is more important, which one is a priority. I’m still young … I don’t need to put that pressure on myself to do something in the next two weeks.”
BRING THE SWAGGER
Gauff will bring plenty of swagger after her French Open win last year, her second major title after the U.S. Open in 2023, and the tenacious 21-year-old knows the next step is to deliver high-quality performances consistently.
“I would like to go deep in all the Grand Slams this year,” the world No. 3 said of her goals for 2026.
“I’d like to touch the number one ranking. That would be cool. But yeah, just being consistent throughout the year.”
Of the other challengers, a fearless, free‑swinging Keys found her finest form in Melbourne last year and will be a threat in the draw.
Fellow American Amanda Anisimova could also have a big role to play after making the Wimbledon and U.S. Open finals last year, while Elena Rybakina’s unbeaten run to the WTA Finals title in Riyadh last year marks her out as a contender.
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Melbourne; Editing by Thomas Derpinghaus)
Comments