One of the best draws of the WTA season may have just come at the #ApiaInternationalSydney, with seven Top-10 players scheduled to compete after Naomi Osaka’s late withdrawal from the tournament. World number one Simona Halep and Angelique Kerber headlines the massive field which includes six Major champions.
First Quarter: Halep looks to survive tough draw
World number one #SimonaHalep has opted to start her season in the second week, much to the surprise of her fans. Without her coach Darren Cahill after a stellar 2018, Halep will need to take some time to adapt and improvise on the court without the guidance of her coach. The Romanian receives a bye into the second round. She will face a tough opener, as the winner of a blockbuster first-round match between #JelenaOstapenko and #AshleighBarty will get the opportunity to face the top-ranked player. Barty is the defending finalist and a local favourite hence she will be looking to cause the upset.
Brisbane quarterfinalist #AnettKontaveit goes up against the dangerous #EliseMertens in another intriguing first-round clash here in Sydney. Just two months after meeting at the WTA Elite Trophy, Mertens will hope to replicate her victory although that will be tough as the Estonian is in some great form while the Belgian crashed to a defeat in her first match of the new season. Call it the luck, as there will be a repeat of the Brisbane final in the first round of the Sydney International. #LesiaTsurenko sprung a surprise run this week and looks to claim back-to-back wins over sixth seed #KarolinaPliskova within just a couple of days.
NOTE: Due to the withdrawals of both Karolina Pliskova and Lesia Tsurenko, Mertens is now promoted to be the 10th seed and has taken the Czech's place in the draw. She will open against qualifier #KaterinaSiniakova while Anett Kontaveit will now face lucky-loser #MonicaPuig. However, Mertens and Kontaveit are still projected to meet in the second round.
Prediction: Halep d. Mertens
Second Quarter: Stephens, Bertens leads the way
Fourth seed #SloaneStephens received a favourable draw as she will face a qualifier in the opening round. Her potential second-round opponent would be #DariaGavrilova, who needed a wildcard to enter the main draw. Stephens, who fell in her first match of the year, found it hard to find her groove immediately at the start of the tournament hence this was the best possible draw for her.
NOTE: After the qualifiers were placed in the draw, Stephens is projected to face the hard-hitting and dangerous #EkaterinaAlexandrova in the opening round while Gavrilova faces fellow grinder, #YuliaPutintseva.
There will be an interesting all-Spaniard clash in the opening round as #CarlaSuarezNavarro will battle against two-time Grand Slam champion #GarbineMuguruza in a clash of two former top-10 players as well. Muguruza looked decent at the Hopman Cup this week and will be finding some confidence through a deep run in Sydney next week. The winner will most probably face seventh seed #KikiBertens, who opens her campaign against a qualifier of lucky-loser.
NOTE: After the qualifiers were placed in the draw, it turned out that Bertens' first opponent would be former top-five player and lucky-loser #JohannaKonta. Konta retired in her final qualifying match due to a neck injury, but was given another lifeline and she will hope that she could recover in time for the match.
Prediction: Bertens d. Stephens
Third Quarter: Kasatkina receives a soft draw
Out of all the seeded players, #DariaKasatkina definitely received the best draw possible. Her first two opponents would either be qualifiers or lucky-losers and that was needed especially after a stunning first-round loss to 289th-ranked Kimberly Birrell at the Brisbane International. However, she still has to be wary considering potential qualifiers include Johanna Konta, Danielle Collins, and Barbora Strycova, who defeated her at the same stage last year.
NOTE: Kasatkina's draw turned out to be rather tough. She will face Brisbane quarterfinalist #AliaksandraSasnovich in the first round, having lost to the Belarusian at the US Open last year. Her potential second round opponent would either be #TatjanaMaria or #PriscillaHon.
Local favourite and former world number four #SamanthaStosur, receiving a wildcard into the tournament once again, will open against the hard-hitting #DominikaCibulkova in a battle of powerful players. Quality shot-striking will be expected although the draw does not get easier for both players in the next round — with ninth seed #AnastasijaSevastova, taking over Naomi Osaka’s place in the draw, potentially awaiting there. However, the Latvian will need to overcome the tough challenge of #TimeaBacsinszky, a resurgent Swiss returning from injury, in the first hurdle.
Prediction: Cibulkova d. Sasnovich
Fourth Quarter: Kerber leads the field
Fifth seed #PetraKvitova, who utilized a top-20 wildcard to enter the tournament, will face off against #ArynaSabalenka, who hoisted the first WTA title of the year at the Shenzhen Open this week. Kvitova will be looking to exact revenge for her US Open loss to the Belarusian last year, although the Czech is low in confidence having just won one of her last seven matches. #HsiehSuwei, the last direct acceptance into the main draw, will open against a qualifier before facing the winner of the aforementioned blockbuster clash.
NOTE: The qualifier Hsieh would be facing is #DanielleCollins, whom she played doubles with for one tournament previously.
Wildcard #AjlaTomljanovic, carrying local hopes, opens against last year’s semifinalist #CamilaGiorgi, who shocked everyone by mounting a deep run from the qualifying rounds. The winner will get the golden opportunity to face world number two #AngeliqueKerber, the defending champion who will be back looking to replicate her success once more. A repeat of 2018’s semifinals could happen in the second round in 2019, with Giorgi and Kerber potentially setting up a highly-anticipated meeting.
Commentaires