The biggest event in the first week of the new year is the #BrisbaneInternational, with seven top-10 players choosing to participate down under. Defending champion and WTA Finals champion Elina Svitolina returns into action although she received a tricky draw in this packed field consisting of all four Singapore finalists.
First Quarter: Rematch of 2018 final in the second round?
Top seed #ElinaSvitolina, fresh off her terrific Singapore campaign, looks to defend her title in Brisbane. Her first opponent would be tricky no matter what happens — it would either be #AliaksandraSasnovich, who reached the final as a qualifier this year, or teenage sensation #AnastasiaPotapova, who saved two match points to qualify for the main draw.
#DonnaVekic will face #MagdalenaRybarikova in an interesting first-round clash, with the draw being full of blockbuster matches. Sixth seed, world number 10 #KikiBertens opens her Brisbane campaign against good friend #EliseMertens. The Dutchwoman will be looking for her first win in this tournament although she owns a 0-2 head-to-head record against the Belgian.
Prediction: Svitolina d. Bertens
Second Quarter: Former champion Pliskova looks to survive tricky opponents
Third seed #SloaneStephens received a terrible draw as she will need to get straight to business in her first match of the year. Former top-10 player #JohannaKonta awaits in the opening round and that will be a decisive clash, particularly for the Brit who will need this confidence-boosting win. #KaterinaSiniakova and #AjlaTomljanovic will also play out a repeat of their thriller at the US Open this year.
#SamanthaStosur, highlighting the night session of the first day of action, will play her 1000th career match against qualifier #MarieBouzkova in the first round. 2017 champion #KarolinaPliskova looks to replicate her success — and she needs to get past #YuliaPutintseva, whom she defeated en route to her title run that year, her first opponent of the year.
Prediction: Ka.Pliskova d. Konta
Third Quarter: Packed draw with many quality players
Seventh seed #DariaKasatkina earned herself a lifeline, opening against local wildcard #KimberleyBirrell on Show Court 1 on the first day of the tournament. However, the draw does not get easier from there — with either #LesiaTsurenko, someone who has given her a lot of trouble in the past, or the hard-hitting #MihaelaBuznarescu waiting in the second round.
Hard-hitter #AnettKontaveit will look to overturn a 0-2 head-to-head record deficit against the dangerous #CarlaSuarezNavarro while fourth seed #PetraKvitova makes her return to Brisbane. The Czech will face #DanielleCollins, one of the most improved players on the tour in 2018, in the first round of action.
Prediction: Kvitova d. Kasatkina
Fourth Quarter: Osaka looks to mount a deep run
Eighth seed #AnastasijaSevastova starts her campaign against local favourite #DariaGavrilova, but the winner of this match will experience an easier second-round match with a lower-ranked player awaiting. Qualifier #HarrietDart goes up against #PriscillaHon in the only match of the draw whereby neither of the players is ranked inside the top-100.
It will be a battle of hard-hitters as #KristinaMladenovic goes up against qualifier #DestaneeAiava, who became the first player born in the 2000s to win a WTA match at this tournament last year. The winner will face second seed #NaomiOsaka, who received a bye into the second round.
Prediction: Sevastova d. Osaka
Semifinals Prediction: Svitolina d. Ka.Pliskova, Kvitova d. Sevastova
Final Prediction: Kvitova d. Svitolina
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