The 2023 Australian Open Women's tournament will start this month, as the best WTA players in the world descend on OZ for the first Grand Slam of the new season.
Reigning champion Ashleigh Barty retired following her win at Melbourne Park last year. The tournament favourite is the current world No 1 Iga Swiatek, who will hope to outlast the competition to win her first Aussie Open tournament.
The Aussie Open will provide fans of tennis with three weeks of intense Grand Slam action. The event starts the second week of January and you won't want to miss it.
Australian Open Dates
The 2023 Australian Open's qualifying round will begin on January 9, 2023. The draw for the first round proper will take place on January 12, as the seeded players learn their first-round opponents.
The Australian Open Women's tournament will then officially start on Monday, January 16. The best women's tennis players in the world will compete for the Grand Slam title. The 2023 Australian Open Women's final will occur on Saturday, January 28.
The 2023 Australian Open is the 111th edition of the tournament. This year's event will also be the 55th time the tournament has been played in the Open Era.
Women's tennis fans in the United Kingdom will be able to watch the main session each day at midnight UK time until the semi-finals. The Australian Open night sessions will take place at 8 AM UK time, making it possible for women's tennis fans to enjoy breakfast while watching the incredible action form down under.
Australian Open Schedule
The Australian Open Women's tournament is the first Grand Slam event of the year for the WTA. Tennis fans from around the world will have their eyes fixed on the action down under.
Fans can watch the qualifying rounds starting on Monday, January 9. The tournament proper won't begin until Monday, January, 16.
- Monday, January 9 - Men’s and women’s singles qualifying starts
- Monday, January 16 – Men’s and women’s first-round singles matches
- Tuesday, January 17 – Men’s and women’s first-round singles matches
- Wednesday, January 18 – Men’s and women’s second-round singles matches
- Thursday, January 19 – Men’s and women’s second-round singles matches
- Friday, January 20 – Men’s and women’s third-round singles matches
- Saturday, January 21 – Men’s and women’s third-round singles matches
- Sunday, January 22 – Men’s and women’s fourth-round singles matches
- Monday, January 23 – Men’s and women’s fourth-round singles matches
- Tuesday, January 24 – Men’s and women’s singles quarter-finals
- Wednesday, January 25 – Men’s and women’s singles quarter-finals
- Thursday, January 26 – Women’s singles semi-finals
- Friday, January 27 – Men’s singles semi-finals
- Saturday, January 28 – Women’s singles final, men’s doubles final
- Sunday, January 29 – Men’s singles final, women’s doubles final
Australian Open Location
The 2023 Australian Open Women's tournament will be played at Melbourne Park. Melbourne Park has been the exclusive home of the Australian Open tournament since 1988. The event is one of two Grand Slams that takes place on hard courts.
When is the Australian Open Draw?
The Australian Open 2023 draw will occur on Thursday, January 12. The draw for the tournament will take place three days after the start of qualifying. The first round proper starts the following Monday.
Which Players Are Seeded?
Iga Swiatek heads to Australia as the tournament's No 1 seeded player. Swiatek is also ranked No 1 in the world by the WTA.
She is joined by the best female tennis players in the world and it won't be easy for the three-time Grand Slam winner to lift the 2023 Australian Open Women's tournament trophy. Swiatek has never won the Grand Slam event before and her best finish was reaching the semifinals a year ago.
Here is a look at the top 10 seeded players for the women's Australian Open tournament:
- Iga Swiatek
- Ons Jabeur
- Jessica Pegula
- Caroline Garcia
- Aryna Sabalenka
- Maria Sakkari
- Coco Gauff
- Daria Kasatkina
- Veronika Kudermetova
- Madison Keys
Australian Open Outright Winner Odds
Bookmakers have Iga Swiatek as their favourite to win the 2023 Australian Open Women's title. Swiatek has never won the Aussie Open, however. Her best finish was in 2022, as she reached the semi-finals.
Caroline Garcia is second in odds for the event. The French player's best finish down under was in 2018 when she reached the fourth round.
The biggest shock in women's tennis in 2022 was Ashleigh Barty's retirement announcement. Barty won the 2022 Women's Australian Open but announced her retirement shortly after the Melbourne event. She won't play in the tournament leaving it open to another title winner.
Here are the latest Women's Australian Open odds on the top 15 players for this year's event:
Who are the Favourites?
Swiatek goes into the event as the bookmakers' favourite to win the title. The Polish powerhouse won two Grand Slam events in 2022, the French Open title and the US Open title. She reached the semi-finals last season and with Barty not involved, could take the trophy.
Garcia has never won a Grand Slam tournament. She did reach the final four in New York at the US Open last season. Meanwhile, Jabeur is the No 2 seed and put together a strong 2022. She reached the finals of Wimbledon and the US Open but lost both title deciders. In London, she fell to Elena Rybakina and in New York, Swiatek took the championship match.
Meanwhile, bookmakers like the chances of teenagers Coco Gauff. The No 7 seed is still far from reaching her potential. A frustrating Grand Slam campaign was ended in 2022 by reaching the last eight at the US Open.
Iga Swiatek
Swiatek is the current WTA tennis world No 1. She has three career Grand Slam wins, with two coming last season. The Polish player is the favourite going into the tournament thanks in part to Ashleigh Barty retiring in 2022.
Caroline Garcia
Garcia has never won a Grand Slam. She is still the second favourite in odds, and plenty of punters will likely bet on the French player to win the tournament. Garcia had a poor 2022 until the US Open where she reached the final four before losing to Jabeur.
Aryna Sabalenka
Sabalenka was defeated in the US Open semifinals by Swiatek last autumn. The Belarussians' biggest successes have come at Wimbledon and at the US Open. She reached the final four at both of the events. Sabalenka hasn't had much success in Australia, however. Her best finish at the Australian Open Women's singles tournament was in 2021 and 2022, as she reached the fourth round.
Ons Jabeur
Jabeur had a fantastic 2022, as she made it to two Grand Slam finals. Unfortunately for the Tunisian, she lost both finals. At the 2022 US Open, Jabeur was beaten by Swiatek in straight sets in the final. Jabeur's best Australian Open finish was in 2020, as she made it to the quarterfinals.
Coco Gauff
Coco Gauff is one of the darlings of the women's tennis world. She has some of the best odds to win the tournament and plenty of fans will bet on the young American to lift a first Grand Slam trophy. Despite all the praise and talk of Gauff being the best Serena Williams, she hasn't displayed it at Grand Slam tournaments. Gauff reached the final of the 2022 French Open where she lost to Swiatek in straight sets. It was a wild ride and the best performance she has had to date in a Grand Slam.
Who are the Dark Horses?
Emma Raducanu is perhaps the biggest dark horse going into the tournament. Raducanu is at odds of 33/1 to win the tournament.
Raducanu is a well-known player these days thanks to storming onto the women's tennis world in 2021 and 2022. She gained immediate fame by winning the US Open in 2021 as a qualifier.
Since emerging as a young talent in the tennis game, Raducanu has had multiple setbacks. she has experienced plenty of injury issues and is off the radar going into the tournament down under.
However, it will be a race against the clock for the Brit after she pulled up with an injury last week in New Zealand.
Naomi Osaka is a two-time Australian Open Women's tournament winner. The 25-year-old is set to play in the tournament barring any last-minute injury problems. Osaka is ranked No 42 in the world. It is a major drop from being No 1, which Osaka was in 2019. Bookmakers have given Osaka favourable Australian Open betting odds of 16/1 to win the tournament.
Any Long Shots Worth Backing?
Canadian Leylah Fernandez is another player to keep an eye on. She is 50/1 to win the Aussie Open. The 20-year-old was ranked No 13 last summer but is now down to No 40. Fernandez reached the US Open final in 2021 when she was beat by Emma Raducanu, but had failed to replicate this level perfomance in a Grand Slam since. Will this be her time to shine?
Who won the 2022 Australian Open?
Australia's Ashleigh Barty won the 2022 edition of the Aussie Open. She defeated Danielle Collins in two sets to win the tournament. Barty announced her retirement from tennis shortly after winning the event to the shock of the tennis community.
Past Winners
Here is a look at the Aussie Open Women's tournament winners from 2010 to 2022:
- Serena Williams 2010
- Kim Clijsters 2011
- Victoria Azarenka 2012
- Victoria Azarenka 2013
- Li Na 2014
- Serena Williams 2015
- Angelique Kerber 2016
- Serena Williams 2017
- Caroline Wozniacki 2018
- Naomi Osaka 2019
- Sofia Kenin 2020
- Naomi Osaka 2021
- Ashleigh Barty 2022
How can I watch the Australian Open in the UK?
The 2023 Australian Open will be broadcast exclusively on Eurosport in the UK. Fans can also live stream the event on Eurosport.co.uk.
In addition, tennis fans with a subscription to Discovery Plus can live stream the tennis tournament live on the app. The Discovery Plus app works with all smart devices allowing you to watch the event on the go or around the house.
The tournament proper kicks off on Monday, January 16, giving fans the chance to watch the first Grand Slam of the year.