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Swiatek heads the entry in Australia
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In-form Sabalenka seeks first Slam title
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Rejuvenated Garcia ready to reach new heights
For the third time in five years, the sport of women's tennis appears to have discovered a long-term successor to Serena Williams.
After months of speculation, Serena finally called a halt to her spectacular career in September 2022, after losing in the third round of the US Open.
She was just a few weeks short of her 41st birthday when the announcement was made.
In the years immediately after Serena claimed her 23rd and final Grand Slam title in January 2017, two players in particular seemed ready to take on the mantle of being the undisputed world No 1 in women's tennis.
First there was Naomi Osaka who won four hard court Slams in the space of two and a half years, before suffering a psychological breakdown in Paris in May 2021.
Since then the Japanese player - who is currently 25 years old - has slipped outside the world's top 40, having failed to win a tournament on the WTA Tour for almost two years.
And only last week she pulled out of the forthcoming Australian Open having not played on Tour since last September.
It was then the turn of Ashleigh Barty to take over as Serena's heiress-apparent, after winning Wimbledon in 2021, and the Australian Open 12 months ago - which was her third career Slam.
But just one month before her 26th birthday, in March 2022, she decided to retire from professional tennis.
She was the world No 1 at the time, and her decision came as a massive surprise to the tennis community.
Latest betting for the women's singles at Melbourne Park
She has now been replaced by Iga Swiatek, who certainly appears to be potentially a long-term holder of the title 'Queen of Women's Tennis.'
By the end of last year, she had become a dominant No 1 amassing over 11,000 World Ranking points, more than twice as many as her closest rival Ons Jabeur (5,055).
During a momentous 2022, she won the Slams of Paris and New York, plus six other tournaments.
And in a golden run of form, she remained unbeaten between mid-February and the first week of July, winning 37 consecutive matches.
The 21-year-old three-time Slam winner heads to Melbourne as the player to beat these next two weeks.
Latest betting for the Australian Open men's singles
So who are her main rivals?
Caroline Garcia: Has finally matured into a potential Grand Slam champion, ending 2022 No 4 in the world. Secured the biggest title of her career in November when she won the WTA Tour Championship in Fort Worth. She turned 29 in October of last year.
Cori (Coco) Gauff: Still only 18 years old, the American reached the French Open final last June and has started 2022 strongly by winning the WTA Tour event in Auckland, New Zealand.
Ons Jabeur: Lost in two successive Slam finals during 2022, at Wimbledon and Flushing Meadows. But she ended the year as the world No 2, thanks to titles on the clay of Madrid and grass of Berlin. The 28-year-old Tunisian is keen to make history as the first player from the Arab world to win a Grand Slam title.
Jessica Pegula: Hoping to become the latest American to reach the Australian Open final, following the exploits of Sofia Kenin (2020), Jennifer Brady (2021) and Danielle Collins (2022) in recent years. A late developer - she turns 29 next month - the Buffalo-born player reached a career-high No 3 in the world during autumn. Last week in Australia, Pegula beat Swiatek 6-2, 6-2 in the semi-finals of the United Cup team event which the USA went on to win.
Aryna Sabalenka: Undoubtedly the best current player yet to reach a Grand Slam final - having lost three semi-finals during the past 18 months. She also lost in the final of the 2022 WTA Tour Championship, despite beating Swiatek and Jabeur en route. The 24-year-old from Belarus won the Adelaide International last week.
Click here to view 10 years of women's singles form at Australian Open (2013-22)