The women's singles was first contested in 1922 along with the women's and mixed doubles competition as the last three events to be added. The Australian Open is played during two weeks mid-January, and has been chronologically the first of the four Grand Slam tournaments of the tennis season since 1987. The event was not held from 1940 to 1945 because of World War II, and 1986 because Tennis Australia wanted to move the tournament start from mid-December 1986 to mid-January 1987.<ref name=AOHistory>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=USTAFinals>Template:Cite web</ref> Margaret Court holds the all-time record for singles titles at this tournament with 11; 7 in the Amateur Era and 4 in the Open Era. Serena Williams holds the Open Era record with 7 singles titles.
Perth, Brisbane, Adelaide, Sydney, and Melbourne, Australia have all held the event. The competition switched locations every year before it settled in 1972 at the Kooyong Stadium, moving to Flinders Park, now Melbourne Park, in 1988.<ref name=AOHistory/> Several calendar changes took place for the Australian Open, from January to December in 1972 to bypass the January-to-June International Lawn Tennis Federation (ITLF) ban of World Championship Tennis (WCT) players; from late to early December in 1977 to avoid the Christmas holidays, which resulted in having two Opens in the season;<ref name=GS77>Template:Cite web</ref> and back to January, when the planned December 1986 edition was moved to early 1987, leaving no Open for the 1986 season.<ref name=GS86>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=AOYearbyyear>Template:Cite web</ref>
An all British and an all American final were contested in 1935 and 1979 respectively, but otherwise every other final contested until 1980 featured an Australian player.
The women's singles' rules have undergone several changes, since the first edition. This event has been contested in a knockout format, and all matches played at the best-of-three sets.<ref name=AOProfile/> Since 1922, all sets have been decided in the advantage format, with six games and two games difference. The lingering death best-of-twelve points tie-break was introduced in 1971, and used for the first two sets since then, except from 1980 to 1982, when the tie-break was also played in final sets.<ref name=AOProfile/><ref name=AOTB>Template:Cite web</ref>
The court surface changed once, from grass (1922–1987) to hard courts, since the move to Flinders Park in 1988.<ref name=AOHistory/><ref name=Surface>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=Blue>Template:Cite web</ref> No tennis player has won this event on both grass and Rebound Ace; Serena Williams is the only player to win the tournament on two different surfaces, winning her first three titles on Rebound Ace and her last four on Plexicushion.<ref name=RodLaverArena>Template:Cite web</ref>
The champion receives a miniature replica of the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup, named after the five-time champion, which was first awarded to the champion in 1934.<ref name=AOTrophy>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2010, the winner received prize money of A$2,100,000.<ref name=AOMoney>Template:Cite web</ref>
In the Australasian Championship, Margaret Molesworth (1922–1923) and Daphne Akhurst (1925–1926) co-hold the records for most wins and most consecutive wins.<ref name=USTAFinals/>
In the Australian Championships, Margaret Court (1960–1966) holds the records for most titles with seven wins, and most consecutive titles with seven from (1960–1966).<ref name=USTAFinals/>
In the Australian Open, Serena Williams (2003, 2005, 2007, 2009–2010, 2015, 2017) has the most victories, with seven. The record for most consecutive titles is three held by the following players: Margaret Court (1969–1971), Evonne Goolagong (1974–1976), Steffi Graf (1988–1990), Monica Seles (1991–1993), Martina Hingis (1997–1999).<ref name=USTAFinals/>
Overall in the Championship's history, Margaret Court (1960–1973) holds the records for most titles with eleven wins, and most consecutive titles with seven from (1960–1966).<ref name=USTAFinals/>
Steffi Graf is a four-time champion and won three times consecutivelyMonica Seles is a four-time champion and won three times consecutivelyAmerican Serena Williams is a seven-time champion, which is an Open Era record.Martina Hingis is a three-time consecutive champion, and she reached the final six times consecutively, which is an open era record.Ashleigh Barty won the title in 2022, becoming the first Australian woman to win the title in 44 years.
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