T365 Australian Open champion predictions: Sinner & Sabalenka favourites; Alcaraz, Gauff & Rybakina all feature

Tennis365
Aryna Sabalenka, Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz and Coco Gauff
Aryna Sabalenka, Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz and Coco Gauff feature in out predictions

With the 2025 Australian Open underway, our Fantasy predictions competition has arrived at a Grand Slam tournament for the first time.

Here, our writers Oli Dickson Jefford, Kevin Palmer, Ewan West, and Shahida Jacobs pick their men’s and women’s singles champions for the year’s first major.

Australian Open – Men’s singles

ODJ: Jannik Sinner was already the big favourite to win the title and, with the draw gods working heavily in his favour, I would be surprised to see anyone prevent him from winning back-to-back Australian Open crowns.

KP: After the Court of Arbitration for Sport confirmed they will hear the WADA appeal against Jannik Sinner following his failed drug tests last March on the eve of the Australian Open, there has to be a possibility that the world No 1 will be distracted by the noise around him. That will open the door for Carlos Alcaraz to claim Australian Open glory for the first time and, remarkably, complete a career Grand Slam at the tender age of 21.

SJ: I was desperate to go against the grain and maybe pick a first-time Australian Open winner, but Jannik Sinner’s draw means it is hard to go with anyone else for the title as the other contenders will have to win several big matches before even reaching the final. We know what happened to Daniil Medvedev last year when he played several marathon matches.

EW: Jannik Sinner was the dominant hard-court force in men’s tennis in 2024 and he dropped only five sets across his Australian Open and US Open title runs. With a very favourable draw, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Italian reach the final without losing a set en route to defending his crown. Sinner’s path could be a significant advantage in a likely showdown with one of Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic or Alexander Zverev — who are all in the bottom half.

Australian Open – Women’s singles

ODJ: For me, a blockbuster semi-final between Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff decides who wins this title, just like it effectively did in 2024. Gauff’s been in fine form, but Sabalenka is a different player Down Under – I think she seals the ‘threepeat’.

KP: Can anyone beat defending champion Aryna Sabalenka? It seems unlikely given her form in Melbourne over the last couple of years, but Coco Gauff blasted the world No 1 off the court at the WTA Finals in November and if her shaky serve holds up, the American could win her second major and her first at the Australian Open.

SJ: Again, would love a new Australian Open champion and Elena Rybakina has a favourable draw, but then again it could be a mental game with her given her coaching situation and her recent injury struggles.

EW: Iga Swiatek has a nice draw and is too good not to improve her Grand Slam results outside of Roland Garros, while Coco Gauff has brought her excellent form from the end of last season into 2025. Aryna Sabalenka, though, has been remarkably consistent at majors and is the player to beat on hard courts in the women’s game. The Belarusian is in great shape to win her third consecutive Australian Open title after her Brisbane triumph.

Australian Open News

Australian Open: 5 big stories to follow from Jannik Sinner to Novak Djokovic and Joao Fonseca

Aryna Sabalenka v Iga Swiatek v Coco Gauff for world No 1 ranking at Australian Open

Predictions Game

This season, our writers are competing against each other in a fantasy-scoring game to see who can predict the most successful players in each tournament.

Our team members receive five points for a correct champion pick, three points if our pick is the runner-up, and one if they reach the semi-final.

This changes to seven, five, three, and one point from champion to quarter-finalist at the Grand Slams.

In Week 2, no points were earned from the WTA 500 in Adelaide or the ATP 250 in Auckland as none of our picks reached the semi-finals.

For the ATP 250 in Adelaide, Kevin earned three points for Seb Korda’s runner-up result, while Oli, Shahida and Ewan each received a point for Tommy Paul’s semi-final run.

The other tournament held was the WTA 250 in Hobart, with Oli picking up three points for Elise Mertens reaching the final and Ewan taking a point for Elina Avanesyan’s semi-final effort.

Standings after Week 1

=1) Oli Dickson Jefford – 14 points
=1) Kevin Palmer – 14 points
3) Ewan West – 13 points
4) Shahida Jacobs – 12 points

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