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MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - JANUARY 27:  Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark kisses the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup after winning the women's singles final against Simona Halep of Romania on day 13 of the 2018 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 27, 2018 in Melbourne, Australia.  (Photo by Scott Barbour/Getty Images)
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - JANUARY 27: Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark kisses the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup after winning the women's singles final against Simona Halep of Romania on day 13 of the 2018 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 27, 2018 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Scott Barbour/Getty Images)Scott Barbour/Getty Images

Australian Open 2018 Results: Final Look at Women's Bracket and Prize Money

Gill Clark
Jan 28, 2018

Caroline Wozniacki is the 2018 Australian Open women's champion after beating Simona Halep in three sets in a tightly-contested final Saturday.ย 

The 27-year-old wonย 7-6, 3-6, 6-4 to secure her first Grand Slam title and regain top spot in the world rankings.

Wozniacki kicked off her tournament with a three-set win over Jana Fett before comfortable victories over Kiki Bertens andย Magdalena Rybarikova. She then tasted victory againstย Carla Suarez Navarro in the quarter-finals before a win overย Elise Mertens in the last four booked her a final spot against Halep.

Wozniackiย becomes the first Dane ever to win a Grand Slam singles title, and her bank balance has also received a healthy ยฃ4 million boost.ย 

Here's a look at the prize money from the first Slam of the year.

2018 Australian Open Prize Moneyย 

Winnerโ€”$4 million (ยฃ2.32 million)

Runner-upโ€”$2 million (ยฃ1.16 million)

Semi-finalistโ€”$880,000ย (ยฃ509,000)

Quarter-finalistโ€”$440,000ย (ยฃ255,000)

Round of 16โ€”$240,000ย (ยฃ139,000)

Round of 32โ€”$142,500ย (ยฃ82,000)

Round of 64โ€”$90,000ย (ยฃ52,000)

Round of 128โ€”$60,000ย (ยฃ28,900)

The full women's bracket for the 2018 Australian Open tournament can be foundย here.

Wozniackiย finally ended her wait for a Grand Slam title with a thrilling victory over Halep in her 43rd appearance at a major, per journalist Reem Abulleil:

On a hot night in Melbourne, the Dane surged into a 4-1 lead in the first set but let it slip before taking it on a tiebreak. The Romanian then took the second set 6-3 to force a decider, and there was little to choose between the players, as shown by tennis commentator David Law:ย 

However, Wozniacki produced some brilliant defensive tennis to force errors from her opponent and just had enough to outlast Halep, who also deserves huge praise for an epic final.

The 2017 Australian Open champion Serena Williams was quick to pay tribute to Wozniacki:

The 27-year-old was understandably delighted with the victory but also relieved to break her Grand Slam duck, as shown by journalist Jose Morgado:

Halep, meanwhile, has now lost three Grand Slam finals and also her No.1 world ranking but said she is not sad, per WTA Insider:

Tennis correspondent Russell Fuller said if she does manage to win a Grand Slam it will be a popular victory:

Both Wozniacki and Halep can be immensely proud of their Australian Open campaigns and particularly for serving up a thrilling final which showcased the very best of the women's game.