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The first grand slam of the 2025 tennis season is here with the 2025 Australian Open all set to begin on January 12. Top players from both men's and women's divisions will fight it out for one of the biggest prizes in tennis on the courts of Melbourne.
On the women's side, the trio of Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, and Coco Gauff will be the top-billed favorites for the title. Former finalists like Zheng Qinwen and Elena Rybakina will also be on the list of the favorites.
However, some top-seeded players are in the draw who might not be the outright favorite but have a realistic chance of bagging the prize.
Let us take a look at some of the dark horses who could win the women's singles title in Melbourne
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#3 Mirra Andreeva
One of the young sensations on the WTA Tour, Mirra Andreeva has been going from strength to strength on the court. The 17-year-old won her maiden career title on the Tour at the Iasi Open. She finished the year on a strong note as well, reaching the final of the Ningbo Open.
Andreeva also had a breakthrough at the Grand Slam stage last year. She reached her maiden semifinal at a Major at the French Open. The Russian teenager secured a high-profile victory over Aryna Sabalenka in the quarterfinal at Roland Garros.
As far as the Australian Open is concerned, Andreeva made her Melbourne debut only last year. She immediately turned heads with a dominant 6-0, 6-2 win over Ons Jabeur in the second round. The Russian reached the fourth round, where she eventually lost to Barbora Krejcikova in three sets.
The draw for the 2025 Australian Open seems a stiff one for Andreeva with a potential Sabalenka meeting in the fourth round. However, given the prodigious talent the 14th seed possesses, she can surprise one and all at Melbourne.
#2 Emma Navarro
Seeded Eighth, Emma Navarro can be one of the dark horses at the 2025 Australian Open. 2024 was a prominent year for the American player as he won her maiden career title, reached the Grand Slam semifinal, and broke into the Top 10.
Navarro showed consistency in her results as she reached six semifinals in all. Her performances at the Grand Slam gradually improved with a third-round appearance in Australia, a fourth-round appearance in Paris, a quarterfinal at Wimbledon, and a semifinal run at the US Open.
The world No. 8 has shown that she can go toe-to-toe with the best players in the world, as she won against Coco Gauff twice last year at Grand Slams. Being seeded as high as eighth has worked in Navarro's favor as she has received a favorable draw for the first few rounds. However, she will be en route to a potential quarterfinal clash with Iga Swiatek. The pair have only played once, back in 2018.
With her improved play and consistency of shots, Navarro has the skill and ability to cause some upsets in the second week of the event.
#1 Jasmine Paolini
Fourth-seeded Jasmine Paolini is one of the most prominent dars horses at the Australian Open 2025. The Italian player sent shockwaves through the WTA Tour when she reached back-to-back Major finals at the French Open and Wimbledon. Before that, she had never made it past the second round at any Major.
Paolini used her speed and athletic power to great effort to achieve success across all surfaces. While she reached the finals of the clay-court and grass-court Major, her only title of the year came on the hard courts in Dubai when she defeated Anna Kalinskaya in the final.
The Australian Open is where Paolini made her move last year as she reached her maiden Grand Slam fourth round, and she will be determined to put on a good show this time around as well. The draw indicates she should be able to reach the quarterfinals without much hassle.
Her probable last-eight opponent will be Elena Rybakina, against whom the Italian has a 3-2 record. If she can show similar composure as last year, Paolini might go all the way at a Grand Slam this time.
