MELBOURNE, Australia — As the Australian Open gears up to kick off at Melbourne Park this Sunday, featuring some of the best female tennis players, here’s a look at the top contenders and their backgrounds, along with their odds to win from BetMGM Sportsbook.

**Aryna Sabalenka**
– **Seed**: 1
– **Career-Best Ranking**: 1
– **Country**: Belarus
– **Age**: 26
– **2024 Record**: 56 wins, 14 losses
– **2024 Titles**: 4
– **Career Titles**: 18
– **Grand Slam Titles**: 3 (Australian Open in 2023 and 2024, U.S. Open in 2024)
– **Performance in Last 5 Australian Opens**: Champion in 2024, Winner in 2023, Reached 4th Round in 2022, 4th Round in 2021, and 1st Round in 2020.

Sabalenka had an impressive year, going 18-1 in Grand Slam tournaments last season, marking the best performance by a female player since Serena Williams’ record of 26-1 in 2015. With two consecutive Australian Open victories, she enters this tournament as a leading favorite. Over her last 28 matches in Australia, she has won 27. Recently, she transitioned to the Evolve agency, founded by Naomi Osaka and her agent.

She mentioned, “You always have to look for something to improve. I think I will never stop working on my serve.”

**Odds**: +240

**Iga Swiatek**
– **Seed**: 2
– **Career-Best Ranking**: 1
– **Country**: Poland
– **Age**: 23
– **2024 Record**: 61 wins, 9 losses
– **2024 Titles**: 5
– **Career Titles**: 22
– **Grand Slam Titles**: 5 (Four at the French Open and one at the U.S. Open)
– **Performance in Last 5 Australian Opens**: Reached the 3rd Round in 2024, 4th Round in 2023, Semi-Final in 2022, 4th Round in 2021, and 4th Round in 2020.

Swiatek faced a tumultuous period, accepting a one-month suspension due to a positive test for a banned substance, which she attributed to a contaminated supplement. Despite this setback, she remains a formidable contender with a flawless record in Grand Slam finals. Having teamed up with veteran coach Wim Fissette, she aims to enhance her game further.

She expressed, “For sure, I’m not a complete player. I think tactically there are many ways I could go and have more variety on court. Wim has some nice ideas.”

**Odds**: +400

**Coco Gauff**
– **Seed**: 3
– **Career-Best Ranking**: 2
– **Country**: United States
– **Age**: 20
– **2024 Record**: 54 wins, 17 losses
– **2024 Titles**: 3
– **Career Titles**: 9
– **Grand Slam Titles**: 1 (U.S. Open in 2023)
– **Performance in Last 5 Australian Opens**: Semi-Final in 2024, 4th Round in 2023, 1st Round in 2022, 2nd Round in 2021, and 4th Round in 2020.

Recently, Gauff played a pivotal role in the U.S. team’s victory at the United Cup, defeating Iga Swiatek in the process. With total earnings of $30.4 million in 2024, she leads all female athletes. After parting ways with coach Brad Gilbert, she has since hired Matt Daly alongside Jean-Christophe “JC” Faurel. Gauff concluded the season on a high note by clinching the WTA Finals title, her biggest prize since the U.S. Open win.

She stated, “The key is, when you reach a low, the only way you can go is up. So … I just said, ‘Well, I have to get better at some things, and just try to do that.’”

**Odds**: +400

**Jasmine Paolini**
– **Seed**: 4
– **Career-Best Ranking**: 4
– **Country**: Italy
– **Age**: 29
– **2024 Record**: 41 wins, 20 losses
– **2024 Titles**: 1
– **Career Titles**: 2
– **Grand Slam Titles**: None (Runner-Up at both the French Open and Wimbledon in 2024)
– **Performance in Last 5 Australian Opens**: 4th Round in 2024, 1st Round in 2023, 1st Round in 2022, 1st Round in 2021, and 1st Round in 2020.

Paolini reached the fourth round of the Australian Open last year after failing to win in her previous four attempts. Her breakthrough season helped elevate her ranking significantly. Alongside Sara Errani, she secured a gold medal in women’s doubles for Italy at the Paris Olympics.

She remarked, “If somebody told me at the beginning of the year, ‘You’re going to play WTA Finals, singles and doubles,’ that would be crazy.”

**Odds**: +3300

**Zheng Qinwen**
– **Seed**: 5
– **Career-Best Ranking**: 5
– **Country**: China
– **Age**: 22
– **2024 Record**: 50 wins, 18 losses
– **2024 Titles**: 3
– **Career Titles**: 5
– **Grand Slam Titles**: None (Runner-Up at the Australian Open in 2024)
– **Performance in Last 5 Australian Opens**: Runner-Up in 2024, 2nd Round in 2023, 2nd Round in 2022, did not play in 2021 and 2020.

Zheng burst onto the scene with her first Grand Slam final appearance at the Australian Open earlier this year, followed by a gold medal at the Paris Olympics. Currently, she is working with coach Dante Bottini while her principal coach is unavailable due to medical reasons.

She noted that winning the gold medal was “the best moment, by far, in my career.”

**Odds**: +1400

**Elena Rybakina**
– **Seed**: 6
– **Career-Best Ranking**: 3
– **Country**: Kazakhstan
– **Age**: 25
– **2024 Record**: 42 wins, 11 losses
– **2024 Titles**: 3
– **Career Titles**: 8
– **Grand Slam Titles**: 1 (Wimbledon in 2022)
– **Performance in Last 5 Australian Opens**: 2nd Round in 2024, Runner-Up in 2023, 2nd Round in 2022, 2nd Round in 2021, and 3rd Round in 2020.

Rybakina is currently experiencing some instability with her coaching situation, having recently switched coaches multiple times. Despite challenges, her formidable hitting skills carried her to the final in Melbourne last year.

She commented, “(Vukov) never mistreated me. … I’m not really happy with this situation.”

**Odds**: +900