India, Jan. 11 -- The Australian Open 2025, the first Grand Slam event of the season, is set to commence on Sunday. In the women's singles division, Aryna Sabalenka, the defending champion and current World No. 1, will be the centre of attention. Iga Swiatek, who relinquished her top ranking to Sabalenka last year, will also be closely watched. The Polish athlete recently completed a one-month suspension, which concluded in December. This suspension followed her positive test for a banned substance in an out-of-competition sample collected in August, although the ITIA accepted her explanation that the contamination stemmed from non-regulated melatonin, a medication produced and sold in Poland.

In the previous year, Sabalenka triumphed over China's Zheng Qinwen in the final with a score of 6-3, 6-2, securing her second Australian Open title and her second major singles title overall. Throughout the tournament, the Belarusian did not drop a single set and conceded only 31 games in total. She became the first player to successfully defend the title since Victoria Azarenka in 2013. Later in 2024, she added the US Open title to her accolades, bringing her Grand Slam total to three.

Zheng Qinwen, who finished as the runner-up last year, had a remarkable season in 2024, highlighted by winning an Olympic gold medal, a strong performance in Melbourne where she defeated Swiatek, and claiming the Japan Open title.

Qinwen's primary challenge will come from Sabalenka, as she aims to become the second Chinese player to secure a singles Grand Slam title.

Naomi Osaka made her return to competitive tennis in January last year after a 15-month maternity leave. However, she has struggled to regain her form since her comeback, despite being a two-time Australian Open champion, having won in 2019 and 2021.

Last year, Osaka was eliminated in the first round in Melbourne and recently had to retire from the Auckland Classic final due to an abdominal injury. Nevertheless, she expressed optimism about her participation in Melbourne.

Elena Rybakina, the 2022 Wimbledon champion, will seek to replicate her success in Melbourne. After losing to Sabalenka in the 2023 final, she has enlisted the help of Goran Ivanisevic, former coach of Novak Djokovic, for the 2025 season.

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