1978 Australian Open – Women's singles

Chris O'Neil defeated Betsy Nagelsen in the final, 6–3, 7–6(7–3) to win the women's singles tennis title at the 1978 Australian Open.

Evonne Goolagong was the reigning champion, but she did not compete this year.

Seeds
The seeded players are listed below. Chris O'Neil is the champion; others show the round in which they were eliminated.


 * 1) 🇬🇧 Sue Barker (quarterfinals)
 * 2) 🇨🇿 Renáta Tomanová (quarterfinals)
 * 3) 🇺🇸 Beth Norton (second round)
 * 4) 🇦🇺 Amanda Tobin (first round)
 * 5) 🇺🇸 Renee Blount (second round)
 * 6) 🇦🇺 Cynthia Doerner (first round)
 * 7) Withdrawn
 * 8) 🇺🇸 Betsy Nagelsen (finalist)