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The first Grand Slam of the 2025 season is set to begin at the Australian Open on Sunday (January 12). Players have already arrived for the event and are training hard to begin the year on a high. Top players like Aryna Sabalenka , Iga Swiatek , Elena Rybakina , and Coco Gauff as expected, are the favorites to win the title.
However, in tournaments like these, there are uncertain dramas on the court that lead to favorites exiting the tournament early or failing to win the title. Under such circumstances, some ‘dark horse’ always rises to the occasion and claims the coveted trophy.
In this article, we will take a look at some of them who have a realistic chance of bagging the prize and are not outright favorites at the Australian Open.
5) Karolina Muchova
Karolina Muchova has been one of the underrated WTA players in the last three seasons. The Czech Republic star has proven on several occasions that she loves to shine in big tournaments. Last season, despite being away for more than six months, she returned to the court and reached three WTA Finals and the semifinals of the US Open.
The 28-year-old is equally effective against top players. In fact, six of her 11 wins over Top-10 players have come in major events. She has a good experience playing in Grand Slam events having reached the final of the Roland Garros in 2023 and the semifinals of the US and Australian Open. She has twice been to the quarterfinals of the Wimbledon Championship.
Muchova opened her 2025 campaign at the United Cup, where she helped the Czech Republic reach the quarterfinals. She suffered only one defeat in the tournament which came against America’s Coco Gauff. The World No.21 will face Nadia Podoroska in the first round of the Australian Open.
4) Mirra Andreeva
One of the brightest sensations on the WTA Tour, Mirra Andreeva has already established herself as one of the best players of her generation. The 17-year-old made her breakthrough in 2023 but earned her first title at the 2024 Iasi Open. She also reached the semifinals of the French Open last year after defeating Aryna Sabalenka in the quarterfinals.
She finished the season on a strong note by reaching the final of the Ningbo Open. The teenager continued from where she left last year by playing excellently at the Brisbane International. She didn’t drop a set at the tournament until the semifinals where she lost in straight sets to Sabalenka.
As far as the Australian Open is concerned, it will be the second time that the World No.15 will be playing at the event. She made her debut only last year and immediately made her mark by beating Ons Jabeur in the second round. In the fourth round, she exited the event after losing to Barbora Krejcikova in three sets.
3) Emma Navarro
Emma Navarro rose to prominence in the WTA Tour in 2024. The American star also claimed her first career title at the Hobart Open, reached the Grand Slam semifinals and broke into the Top 10 of the WTA rankings. She showed consistency on the court, especially in Grand Slam tournaments, where she spent the second week of three of the four major events last year. She also proved that she can handle the pressure of facing top players in the women’s circuit.
Last year, she defeated Coco Gauff at Wimbledon and the US Open. She is equally good at playing on any surface. Seeded eight at the Australian Open proves how much the 23-year-old has established herself in the WTA elite. With her undoubtedly consistent performance at the Grand Slam stage, she will hope to win the 2025 Australian Open.
2) Qinwen Zheng
World No.5 Qinwen Zheng took the women’s circuit by storm last year. She surprisingly reached the final of the Australian Open in 2024, despite not being among the favorites. The Chinese star finished as runners-up but she became the first Chinese player since Li Na in 2014 to reach the final in Melbourne.
However, there’s no doubt that she had her best season last year. In fact, Zheng won a gold medal in women’s singles at the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics. The 22-year-old finished the year as the WTA World No. 5 with a record of 50-18 and three singles titles. She also finished as runners-up at the WTA Finals.
She’s a serious contender for the title this year because she now has the experience. The Chinese star is also very athletic, has a good serve. But she will hope for a bit of luck as she’s drawn in the same bracket with Sabalenka.
1) Jasmine Paolini
Paolini is one of the most prominent dark horses at the Australian Open. The Italian took the tennis world by storm last year after reaching back-to-back major finals at the French Open and Wimbledon. Before that, her best run at a Grand Slam event was making it to the second round.
The world No.4 capped off her 2024 season with a bright finish at the Billie Jean King Cup winning the title for Italy. She will now hope to improve on last year’s fourth-round run at the Australian Open. Paolini, known for her aggressive style of play and powerful groundstrokes that usually overwhelm her opponent, knows how to play on hard court. In fact, she did win her first WTA 1000 title at the Dubai Tennis Championship last year after defeating Anna Kalinskaya in the final.
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