See main article: 2012 Australian Open.
Victoria Azarenka defeated Maria Sharapova in the final, 6–3, 6–0 to win the women's singles tennis title at the 2012 Australian Open. It was her first major title. Azarenka became the first Belarusian to reach and win a major final, and became the world No. 1 in doing so. Caroline Wozniacki, Petra Kvitová and Maria Sharapova were also in contention for the top ranking.
Kim Clijsters was the defending champion, but was defeated in the semifinals by Azarenka.[1]
For the first time in the tournament's history, all eight quarterfinalists were European. This was also the first major main draw appearance for future three-time major champion and world No. 1 Ashleigh Barty, who was defeated in the first round by Anna Tatishvili.
See main article: 2012 Australian Open – Women's singles qualifying.
See main article: 2012 Australian Open – Main draw wildcard entries.
| Category |  Azarenka |  Sharapova | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st serve % | 37/52 (71%) | 30/47 (64%) | |
| 1st serve points won | 25 of 37 = 68% | 16 of 30 = 53% | |
| 2nd serve points won | 8 of 15 = 53% | 3 of 17 = 18% | |
| Total service points won | 33 of 52 = 63.46% | 19 of 47 = 40.43% | |
| Aces | 0 | 1 | |
| Double faults | 4 | 3 | |
| Winners | 14 | 14 | |
| Unforced errors | 12 | 30 | |
| Net points won | 6 of 7 = 86% | 4 of 9 = 44% | |
| Break points converted | 5 of 7 = 71% | 1 of 4 = 25% | |
| Return points won | 28 of 47 = 60% | 19 of 52 = 37% | |
| Total points won | bgcolor=98FB989 | 61 | 38 |
| Source | |||