| Champ: |  Naomi Osaka |
| Runner: |  Jennifer Brady |
| Score: | 6–4, 6–3 |
| Draw: | 128 (16 / 8) |
| Seeds: | 32 |
See main article: 2021 Australian Open.
Naomi Osaka defeated Jennifer Brady in the final, 6–4, 6–3 to win the women's singles tennis title at the 2021 Australian Open.[1] It was her second Australian Open title and fourth major title overall.[2] With the win, Osaka extended her winning streak to 21 matches, dating to the 2020 Cincinnati Open. She only lost one set during the tournament, to Garbiñe Muguruza in the fourth round; she also saved two match points in that match, making her the eighth woman to win the Australian Open after saving match points. Osaka became the third player in the Open Era, after Monica Seles and Roger Federer, to win their first four major finals.
Sofia Kenin was the defending champion,[3] but lost to Kaia Kanepi in the second round.[4]
Venus Williams became the first player to win a match at a major after turning 40 since Martina Navratilova at the 2004 Wimbledon Championships.
Mayar Sherif became the first Egyptian woman to win a major main draw match.[5] Hsieh Su-wei became the first Taiwanese woman to make a major singles quarterfinal. At 35 years of age, Hsieh also became the oldest player to make her quarterfinal debut.[6] [7]
Serena Williams equaled Chris Evert's all-time record of 54 major quarterfinals at this tournament;[8] [9] she then lost to Osaka in the semifinals. This was the seven-time champion's final appearance at the event, as Williams announced her retirement from professional tennis the following year.
Seeding per WTA rankings.[10]
See also: 2021 Australian Open – Women's singles qualifying.
– not included on entry list
& – withdrew from entry list
| Category | Osaka | Brady | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st serve % | 30/63 (48%) | 29/60 (48%) | ||
| 1st serve points won | bgcolor=98FB98 | 22 of 30 = 73% | 18 of 29 = 62% | |
| 2nd serve points won | bgcolor=98FB98 | 18 of 33 = 55% | 13 of 31 = 42% | |
| Total service points won | 40 of 63 = 63.49% | 31 of 60 = 51.67% | ||
| Aces | 6 | 2 | ||
| Double faults | 2 | 4 | ||
| Winners | 16 | 15 | ||
| Unforced errors | 24 | 31 | ||
| Net points won | 4 of 5 = 80% | 2 of 3 = 67% | ||
| Break points converted | 4 of 5 = 80% | 2 of 4 = 50% | ||
| Return points won | 25 of 60 = 42% | 21 of 63 = 33% | ||
| Total points won | bgcolor=98FB989 | 69 | 54 | |
| Source | ||||