The 2026 Australian Open is less than a week away, and players are gearing up to grace the surface at Melbourne Park to compete for the prestigious Norman Brookes Challenge Cup (men’s) and the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup (women’s). Currently, the players are busy with the warm-up events for the first Major of the year.
Focusing on the Daphne Akhurst trophy, which is given to the women’s singles champion, some prominent names are in the fray to win the Grand Slam and commence their 2026 campaign on a grand note.
As far as the official seeds are concerned, the dominant Belarusian, Aryna Sabalenka, retains the No. 1 seed after a strong 2025 season, during which she won the US Open and reached the finals of the Australian Open, French Open, and the WTA Finals.
Taking the second spot is the Polish star, Iga Swiatek, who won Wimbledon last year and reached the semifinals of two other Grand Slams. Coco Gauff is the third seed at the upcoming Major. She won her first French Open last year. Amanda Anisimova is the fourth seed, as she reached back-to-back Major finals at Wimbledon and the US Open last year, though she lost both.
The 2025 WTA Finals champion, Elena Rybakina, is the fifth seed, while Jessica Pegula, Jasmine Paolini, and Mirra Andreeva are the sixth, seventh, and eighth seeds, respectively. Last year’s Australian Open champion, Madison Keys, is the official ninth seed this year. Swiss star Belinda Bencic rounds up the top 10 seeds for the tournament.
