Australian Open 2020 will begin from January 20. Apart from the Men's Singles, the Women's Singles is another category which will see fierce competition for the trophy. Ashleigh Barty, Karolina Pliskova, Naomi Osaka, Simona Halep and Serena Williams are among the top contenders. Australian Open 2020 Men's Singles: Djokovic, Nadal, Federer, Daniil Medvedev & Dominic Thiem, 5 Players to Watch Out For in Tennis' First Grand Slam of The Year.

Ashleigh Barty is the top seeded player in Australian Open 2020. On the other hand, Naomi Osaka is the defending champion and ranked third. Karolina Pliskova is ranked second seed. Simona Halep is ranked fourth at the Australian Open 2020. Serena Williams will look to equal Margaret Court's record of 24 grand slams. Australian Open 2020 Live Streaming & Match Time in IST: How to Watch Free Live Telecast of Tennis Grand Slam on Star Sports TV Channel and Hotstar Online in India.

Below Are Top Contenders For Women's Singles

1. Ashleigh Barty

Ashleigh Barty. (Photo Credits: Getty Images)

Australia's Ashleigh Barty remains top of the rankings but second placed Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic has narrowed the gap heading into the Australian Open. Barty is looking to become the first Australian to win the Grand Slam since Christine O'Neil in 1976.

2. Karolina Pliskova

Karolina Pliskova. (Photo Credits: Getty Images)

Karolina Pliskova is seeded no 2 and can pose a challenge to any woman at the Australian Open 2020. She had consistently performed well but looking for a Grand Slam victory to back up her name among the top players.

3. Naomi Osaka

Naomi Osaka. (Photo Credits: Getty Images)

Japan's Naomi Osaka is the defending champion and moved up one place to third while Romania's Simona Halep came down to fourth. Swiss Belinda Bencic moved up to seventh at the expense of Czech Petra Kvitova.

4. Simona Halep 

Simona Halep. (Photo Credits: Getty Images)

Simona Halep has performed consistently well and won the 2019 Wimbledon title. Halep can perform on the hard courts as well and pose serious challenge to the likes of Naomi Osaka, Ashleigh Barty and Serena Williams.

5. Serena Williams

Serena Williams. (Photo Credits: Getty Images)

American tennis great Serena Williams moved into the ninth position in the new rankings recently released by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA). The 38-year-old won the ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand on Sunday, her first title since winning the Australian Open in 2017 and since she became a mother. Williams in the process became the first player in the Open era to win titles across four decades.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 19, 2020 02:32 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).