Caroline Wozniacki defeated Simona Halep in the final, 7–6(7–2), 3–6, 6–4 to win the women's singles tennis title at the 2018 Australian Open. It was her first major title, becoming the first Dane to win a singles major. With the win, Wozniacki regained the world No. 1 singles ranking for the first time since 2012. She saved two match points en route to the title, in the second round against Jana Fett; Halep also saved match points to reach the final, saving three against Lauren Davis in the third round and two against Angelique Kerber in the semifinals. It was Halep's third runner-up finish in as many major finals, though she would win the French Open a few months later. In addition to Wozniacki and Halep, Garbiñe Muguruza, Elina Svitolina, Karolína Plíšková and Jeļena Ostapenko were in contention for the world No. 1 ranking. The final marked the first match between the top two players in the world since the 2015 Australian Open final.