Australian Open 2020: Top 5 contenders for the women's singles crown

The Australian Open is fast approaching and despite the uncertainty surrounding the tournament due to the air quality caused by the raging bushfires, it appears as though the first Grand Slam of the decade is going to go ahead as scheduled.

Whilst the men's singles draw is arguably more predictable, largely due to the dominance of the Big 3, the women's singles draw is a lot more open. Over the last decade, women's tennis hasn't boasted the of the 'Golden Era' that men's tennis has. Serena Williams ruled the game for the majority of it unchallenged and no one posed a real threat to her consistently.

Since her last title in 2017, however, the 23-time Grand Slam champion has seen her dominance vanish in front of her eyes, as other players have taken all of the spoils. Whilst no one has Williams' mantle just yet, the new generation lead by Naomi Osaka has begun to emerge, as indicated by the fact that all of the Grand Slams in 2019 was won by players under 30, with 3 of them being younger than 25.

However, Serena Williams won her first title in 2 years in Auckland and has given cause for many to argue that the American is a real contender to win a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam title. Here's the list of top 5 contenders for lifting the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup.

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#5 Karolína Plíšková

Although Plíšková has been close to winning a Grand Slam, she has had to settle for being a losing finalist at the 2016 US Open. Nevertheless, she has been world number 1 and currently sits at number 2 in the rankings.

This has helped her position in the draw immensely and has arguably been drawn in the easier half of it, with Simona Halep being her most difficult task before the final. Additionally, her form has been very consistent in Melbourne since 2017 and the Czech tennis pro has reached at least the quarterfinals over this period, including reaching the semi-finals last year, where she lost to eventual champion, Naomi Osaka, in 3 close sets.

She looks more than capable of winning this year's Australian Open, but nevertheless, so do the other players on this list. Her draw undoubtedly boosts her chances to win the tournament, but she will more than likely face at least one of the other 4 in this article and will have a tough time defeating any of them.

Finally, although Plíšková recently beat Osaka in Brisbane, she is the only player on this list who has not won a Grand Slam and the psychological impact of this cannot be understated. Often players can get overwhelmed by the pressure and nerves of winning their maiden slam and this is another reason why she is not higher up on the list, despite being the second highest-ranked player in the world.

#4 Ashleigh Barty

At number 4 is Australian crowd-favourite, Ashleigh Barty, who is currently the number 1 ranked player in the world. This jump in the rankings came largely off the back of her triumph in Paris last year.

So far in 2020, Barty was upset in the first round of the Brisbane international by an unseeded player. Nevertheless, despite this drawback, the Australian is currently competing in Adelaide and is due to play in the semi-finals tomorrow.

Given her ranking and Grand Slam triumph in 2019, it may seem unfair to place her so low on the list. However, there are a few reasons as to why this is. Firstly, her loss in Brisbane showed that she is prone to lapses in form. Secondly, the Australian has been drawn in the toughest half with Petra Kvitová, Williams, and Osaka and, thirdly, she has arguably less experience going deep in the grand slams compared to the top 3. She can undoubtedly go onto win the title, nevertheless, for a betting man 4th favourite seems fair.

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#3 Simona Halep

Like Naomi Osaka, Simona Halep has won a grand slam in 2018 and 2019. Her last triumph was at Wimbledon, where she trounced Serena Williams 6-2, 6-2 in the final.

Given this form, it seemed appropriate to place her above Ashleigh Barty. Additionally, her age and experience give her a definite advantage over the Australian. Furthermore, it appears as though Halep has been drawn into the easier half of the draw and will avoid Williams, Barty, and Osaka until at least the finals, which is a huge boost to her chances.

Although she may not get the crowd support of the three aforementioned players, her experience, talent, and luck of the draw means that third favourite seems fair.

#2 Serena Williams

Serena Williams has reached four grand slam finals in the last two years and yet she has no titles to show for it - losing US Open and Wimbeldon finals in consecutive years.Despite getting so close to equalling Margaret Court's record of 24 Grand Slam titles, the American fell short on each occasion.

Many felt that after giving birth to her daughter, it was too much of a challenge for the American to win another slam. Her luck was no better in the smaller tournaments either, until last week where she won her first WTA title in 2 years in Auckland.

Inevitably, this victory caused many to throw her name firmly back into the mix as a genuine contender for the Australian Open. Given her overpowering dominance over the WTA tour, it would be wrong to say she isn't one of the favourites, as she most certainly is.

As aforementioned, she has reached four grand slam finals in the last 2 years, which is better than anyone else on the tour. She was fairly successful in Australia last year, reaching quarterfinals and coming off her recent triumph in Auckland, she just may have the confidence to go onto win the title in Melbourne.

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#1 Naomi Osaka

At number 1 is Naomi Osaka. Although she isn't currently the highest-ranked player on the woman's tour, she has arguably been the best player on the tour over the last couple of years. Like Halep, she is the only other player to have won a Grand Slam title in 2018 and 2019.

Unlike Halep, however, Osaka has a 100% record in Grand Slam finals which shows that despite her young age, she plays with a level of maturity and calmness, to match her undeniable skill on the court.

She goes into this year's tournament as the defending champion and will try to live up to this title. Although she has been drawn in the tougher side of the draw, should she overcome this, then she will possess the confidence to go on and win her 3rd Grand Slam title in as many years.