Australian Open

Australian Open 2026 Predictions – An Early Look At Melbourne Grand Slam

1 day ago

| BY Sam Cox

The 2026 Australian Open begins on January 12th, with the conclusion of the tournament on February 1st. The first Grand Slam of the year is an opportunity for players to turn over a new leaf or try to build on a successful 2025.

Events in Perth, Auckland, and Adelaide are part of the preparation, along with tournaments in Hobart and Brisbane.

Women’s Australian Open Outright Odds:

Aryna Sabalenka – 2/1
Iga Świątek – 4/1
Coco Gauff – 8/1
Elena Rybakina – 8/1
Mirra Andreeva – 8/1
Madison Keys – 8/1

Bet on tennis at William Hill

Leading Women’s Australian Open 2026 Contenders

Aryna Sabalenka is the betting favourite to win the Australian Open ahead of Iga Świątek. The two best players in the world have been atop the odds for several years – this time around, there is a highly talented group of players loitering at 8/1.

It’s a bit of a surprise there isn’t more love for Elena Rybakina. The 8/1 price acknowledges her limited success in Melbourne – with only one trip beyond the fourth round – but she was undefeated in the WTA Finals and won in Ningbo. Rybakina looks like the biggest threat to Sabalenka and Świątek.

Madison Keys, the defending champion, was winless in the WTA Finals, fell in the first round of the US Open, and was beaten by Rybakina in Cincinnati. Bettors should steer well clear unless her odds lengthen significantly, even if she has a better Slam record than Rybakina.

Coco Gauff has played in three Slam finals, winning two, and has made the quarters and semis in the last two Australian Opens. The American had a mixed end to the year, including a disappointing WTA Finals, but we know she can go toe-to-toe with the world’s two best players.

Rybakina to reach the final feels like a safe prediction at this stage. Sabalenka is the woman to beat, but there are 10+ players capable of winning the first Grand Slam of 2026.

Previous Women’s Australian Open Winners

2025 – Madison Keys
2024 – Aryna Sabalenka
2023 – Aryna Sabalenka
2022 – Ashleigh Barty
2021 – Naomi Osaka
2020 – Sofia Kenin
2019 – Naomi Osaka
2018 – Caroline Wozniacki
2017 – Serena Williams
2016 – Angelique Kerber

Men’s Australian Open Outright Odds:

Jannik Sinner – Evens
Carlos Alcaraz – 11/8
Novak Djokovic – 7/1
Alexander Zverev – 10/1
Daniil Medvedev – 14/1
Jack Draper – 20/1

Leading Men’s Australian Open 2026 Contenders

Two-time defending champion Jannik Sinner opens as the tennis betting favourite to win the 2026 Australian Open. Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz are in a league of their own, as represented by the betting markets.

Sinner and Alcaraz have combined to win the last eight Grand Slam titles. The pair have faced off in the last three finals. It is a true duopoly at the top of men’s tennis right now – they met in the final of the ATP Finals, with Alcaraz dropping one set to Sinner’s zero in the prior rounds.

Felix Auger-Aliassime and Alex de Minaur reached the semis of the tournament, with the former finishing the year on a high after making it to the final in the Paris Masters. Other seeds slipped up in Shanghai in early October, further highlights the gap between the world’s top two and the rest.

A Sinner-Alcaraz final is the only reasonable prediction that can be made this far out.