Iga Swiatek will look to win the Madrid Open this year
The main draw of the women’s singles event at the Madrid Open has been released, with the first round starting on Thursday, April 28.
Like every other year, several top players will compete in the Spanish capital with the aim of being crowned champion of the Madrid Open.
World No. 1 Iga Swiatek is the heavy favorite to win the competition given her magnificent run of form of late. However, local favorite Paula Badosa will be in the hunt as well after reaching a career-high ranking of World No. 2.
Reigning champion Aryna Sabalenka seems to be finding her form after a run to the final of the Stuttgart Open and could put in another good show as well. The likes of Maria Sakkari, Karolina Pliskova, Ons Jabeur and Garbine Muguruza cannot be ruled out either.
There are a few notable absentees in the form of Barbora Krejcikova and Anett Kontaveit, who will miss out due to an elbow injury and illness respectively. Nonetheless, we can expect some compelling tennis action over the next week and it will be interesting to see who comes out on top in the end.
On that note, let’s take a look at how the draw for the Madrid Open could unfold.
First Quarter: Iga Swiatek aiming for fifth successive title of 2022
Iga Swiatek is a heavy favorite to win the Madrid Open
Seeded Players: (1) Iga Swiatek, (7) Garbine Muguruza, (9) Emma Raducanu, (16) Elena Rybakina.
Expected Quarterfinal: Iga Swiatek vs Garbine Muguruza.
Dark Horse: Petra Kvitova.
Top seed Iga Swiatek is in this quarter and we can all expect her to reach the quarterfinals of the Madrid Open without much trouble given her current form. The Pole starts off against a qualifier or lucky loser and could face three-time champion Petra Kvitova in the second round.
Swiatek’s most likely opponent in the third round is Elena Rybakina, but Ana Konjuh can’t be ruled out either. The Pole should be able to get the better of whoever she meets out of the two and reach the quarterfinals.
The other half of this quarter is a tricky one as it has Garbine Muguruza and Emma Raducanu. The likes of Sloane Stephens and Clara Tauson could also script an upset or two.
Muguruza and Raducanu have not been particularly impressive this season, but they are expected to meet in the last 16. The Spaniard should then be able to eliminate Raducanu and enter the quarterfinals.
Second Quarter: Maria Sakkari could face Danielle Collins
Seeded Players: (4) Maria Sakkari, (6) Danielle Collins, (12) Jessica Pegula, (13) Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.
Expected Quarterfinal: Maria Sakkari vs Danielle Collins.
Dark Horse: Naomi Osaka.
This quarter of the Madrid Open has fourth seed Maria Sakkari, who will be looking to post a good run at the Madrid Open after a disappointing outing in Stuttgart. The Greek does not have the most favorable draw as she will have to face Madison Keys and could meet Leylah Fernandez in the first two rounds.
Sakkari should be able to reach the third round where she could face either Naomi Osaka or Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. The 26-year-old is capable of getting the better of either player and is expected to reach the quarterfinals.
The other side of this quarter has sixth seed Danielle Collins and 12th seed Jessica Pegula. Both players enjoyed good runs in Miami and will look to do well at the Madrid Open. The two Americans should manage to get to the last 16 where Collins is likely to edge out Pegula to reach the last eight.
Third Quarter: Aryna Sabalenka will aim to defend her Madrid Open title
Seeded Players: (3) Aryna Sabalenka, (5) Karolina Pliskova, (10) Jelena Ostapenko, (15) Victoria Azarenka.
Expected Quarterfinal: Aryna Sabalenka vs Karolina Pliskova.
Dark Horse: Liudmila Samsonova.
This quarter has reigning champion Aryna Sabalenka, who will have a tough time defending her title. The Belarusian will start off against Amanda Anisimova, who beat her in Charleston not long ago. This time, however, Sabalenka will be expected to get the better of the American.
Sabalenka’s potential second-round opponent could be Liudmila Samsonova, who did well against Iga Swiatek in the semifinals in Stuttgart before going down. The 23-year-old could face compatriot Victoria Azarenka in the last 16 but Tamara Zidansek can’t be written off either. It is likely to be a massive challenge, but Sabalenka should be able to reach the quarterfinals.
Karolina Pliskova headlines the other half of this quarter. The Czech’s first two opponents will be qualifiers, which will make her the firm favorite in both ties.
Pliskova should be able to make it into the last 16 where she could meet 10th seed Jelena Ostapenko. This promises to be a hard-fought game, but the World No. 7 should manage to get the better of Ostapenko and reach the quarterfinals.
Fourth Quarter: Paula Badosa will be the player to watch
Paula Badosa will aim to become the first Spaniard to win the Madrid Open
Seeded Players: (2) Paula Badosa, (8) Ons Jabeur, (11) Belinda Bencic, (14) Coco Gauff.
Expected Quarterfinal: Paula Badosa vs Belinda Bencic.
Dark Horse: Simona Halep.
World No. 2 Paula Badosa will take on Veronika Kudermetova in the first round. While that promises to be a tricky match, it will only get tougher for the Spaniard as she is likely to face Simona Halep in the next round.
Should Badosa edge out the former World No. 1 and reach the third round, she could face 14th seed Coco Gauff. The American notably beat Badosa at the Qatar Open this season but a repeat is unlikely and the second seed will be favored to reach the quarterfinals.
The other half of this draw has Ons Jabeur and Belinda Bencic, who reached the semifinals of the Miami Open and won the Charleston Open respectively. The likes of Alize Cornet and Karolina Muchova could cause an upset or two in this quarter as well.
However, Jabeur and Bencic should be able to reach the last 16 where the Swiss is expected to get the better of the Tunisian and move into the quarterfinals.
Semifinal Predictions
Iga Swiatek def. Maria Sakkari.
Paula Badosa def. Aryna Sabalenka.
Prediction for the Final
Paula Badosa def. Iga Swiatek.
