The first Slam of the season is set to kick off with the 2022 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on Monday, Jan. 17.
We break down the projected 32 seeds in Melbourne, led by home favorite and World No.1 Ashleigh Barty and No.2 Aryna Sabalenka. As she bids to bag her third major title and first Australian Open, Barty comes into her home Slam off a dominant dual-title run at the Adelaide International last week. Defending champion Naomi Osaka is projected to be seeded at No.13 after starting her season with a semifinal run at the Melbourne Summer Set.
Here are the numbers behind the Top 32 seeds:
1. Ashleigh Barty
2021 hard-court record: 21-4
Best 2021 hard-court result: Miami champion, Cincinnati champion
Best Australian Open result: Semifinalist (2020)
Notable stat: En route to her 14th career title last week, Barty was unbroken in her final three matches, holding serve in 35 consecutive games.
A very special Sunday 🇦🇺 pic.twitter.com/WcD2woc7i0
— Ash Barty (@ashbarty) January 9, 2022
2. Aryna Sabalenka
2021 hard-court record: 25-12
Best 2021 hard-court result: US Open semifinalist (l. Fernandez)
Best Australian Open result: Round of 16 (2021)
Notable stat: The World No.2 went 0-2 through her first two tournaments of the season, losing to Kaja Juvan in Adelaide 1 and Rebecca Peterson in Adelaide 2. This is the first time Sabalenka has gone into the Australian Open without a match-win since she was ranked No.146 in 2017.
3. Garbiñe Muguruza
2021 hard-court record: 35-12
Best 2021 hard-court result: WTA Finals champion
Best Australian Open result: 2020 finalist (l. Kenin)
Notable stat: Muguruza held two match points against eventual champion Naomi Osaka in the Round of 16 last year.
🤷🏻♀️….de celebración por Guadalajara! 😉 pic.twitter.com/dwl5dlEqnY
— Garbiñe Muguruza (@GarbiMuguruza) November 18, 2021
4. Barbora Krejcikova
2021 hard-court record: 26-14
Best 2021 hard-court result: Dubai finalist (l. Muguruza)
Best Australian Open result: Second round (2020, 2021)
Notable stat: The Australian Open is the only major at which Krejcikova has yet to make the Round of 16.
5. Maria Sakkari
2021 hard-court record: 28-15
Best 2021 hard-court result: US Open semifinalist (l. Raducanu), WTA Finals semifinalist (l. Kontaveit)
Best Australian Open result: Round of 16 (2020)
Notable stat: Sakkari led the tour with nine Top 10 wins in 2021, becoming the first Greek woman to break into the Top 10.
Same picture. New season.
— Ons Jabeur (@Ons_Jabeur) January 8, 2022
Pay back for last year and welcoming Anett on Twitter 😅🤣 https://t.co/M3N1puR3yI pic.twitter.com/x1kLnbhwOC
6. Anett Kontaveit
2021 hard-court record: 39-12
Best 2021 hard-court result: WTA Finals runner-up (l. Muguruza), Ostrava champion, Moscow champion
Best Australian Open result: Quarterfinalist (2020)
Notable stat: The Estonian finished her incredible 2021 campaign winning 29 of her last 33 matches.
7. Iga Swiatek
2021 hard-court record: 20-11
Best 2021 hard-court result: Adelaide champion
Best Australian Open result: Round of 16 (2020, 2021)
Notable stat: The 20-year-old French Open champion was the only woman to make the second week of all four majors last season.
👉 I want this season to be about staying present in the moment, focusing on what's going on here and now. It was close tonight so I'm happy with my work. And at this moment… I'm just content with this match and I'm going to rest as much as I can. pic.twitter.com/wbWVbS6Tbo
— Iga Świątek (@iga_swiatek) January 7, 2022
8. Paula Badosa
2021 hard-court record: 23-12
Best 2021 hard-court result: Indian Wells Champion, WTA Finals semifinalist (l. Muguruza)
Best Australian Open result: Second Round (2020)
Notable stat: Entering the 2021 season, Badosa owned an 18-23 record in main draw matches. She went on to post a 43-17 record in 2021, including a 12-5 record vs. Top 20 opponents. Only Barty and Sakkari tallied more Top 20 wins last season.
9. Ons Jabeur
2021 hard-court record: 25-13
Best 2021 hard-court result: Indian Wells semifinalist (l. Badosa)
Best Australian Open result: Quarterfinalist (2020)
Notable stat: Alongside with Kontaveit, Jabeur led the tour with 48 wins last season.
10. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
2021 hard-court record: 17-15
Best 2021 hard-court result: US Open Round of 16 (l. Pliskova)
Best Australian Open result: Quarterfinalist (2017, 2019, 2020)
11. Sofia Kenin
2021 hard-court record: 7-5
Best 2021 hard-court result: Abu Dhabi quarterfinal (l. Sakkari), Yarra Valley Classic quarterfinal (l. Muguruza)
Best Australian Open result: Champion (2020)
12. Elena Rybakina
2021 hard-court record: 20-16
Best 2021 hard-court result: Chicago 500 semifinal (l. Jabeur)
Best Australian Open result: Third round (2020)
13. Naomi Osaka
2021 hard-court record: 16-4
Best 2021 hard-court result: Australian Open champion
Best Australian Open result: Two-time champion (2019, 2021)
14. Simona Halep
2021 hard-court record: 20-7
Best 2021 hard-court result: Australian Open quarterfinal (l. S. Williams)
Best Australian Open result: 2018 Finalist (l. Wozniacki)
15. Elina Svitolina
2021 hard-court record: 31-13
Best 2021 hard-court result: US Open quarterfinalist (l. Fernandez), Miami semifinalist (l. Barty)
Best Australian Open result: Two-time quarterfinalist (2018, 2019)
16. Angelique Kerber
2021 hard-court record: 15-10
Best 2021 hard-court result: Cincinnati semifinalist (l. Barty)
Best Australian Open result: Champion (2016)
17. Emma Raducanu
2021 hard-court record: 9-4
Best 2021 hard-court result: US Open Champion
Best Australian Open result: DNP
Notable stat: Raducanu is set to make her Australian Open main-draw debut this year.
18. Coco Gauff
2021 hard-court record: 14-10
Best 2021 hard-court result: Montreal quarterfinal (l. Giorgi)
Best Australian Open result: Round of 16 (2020)
Notable stat: 17-year-old Gauff is the youngest woman in the Top 200.
first W of 2022✅☺️ pic.twitter.com/9nvVCx8S0H
— Coco Gauff (@CocoGauff) January 4, 2022
19. Elise Mertens
2021 hard-court record: 22-12
Best 2021 hard-court result: Gippsland Trophy champion
Best Australian Open result: Semifinalist (2018)
20. Petra Kvitova
2021 hard-court record: 18-11
Best 2021 hard-court result: Doha champion
Best Australian Open result: 2019 Finalist (l. Osaka)
21. Jessica Pegula
2021 hard-court record: 26-12
Best 2021 hard-court result: Australian Open quarterfinalist (l. Brady), Montreal semifinalist (l. Giorgi)
Best Australian Open result: Quarterfinalist (2021)
Starting 2022 off right 🏆 https://t.co/a6arIJTxT4
— Jessie Pegula (@JLPegula) January 9, 2022
22. Belinda Bencic
2021 hard-court record: 27-12
Best 2021 hard-court result: Olympic gold medalist, US Open quarterfinalist
Best Australian Open result: Round of 16 (2016)
23. Leylah Fernandez
2021 hard-court record: 19-9
Best 2021 hard-court result: US Open finalist (l. Raducanu)
Best Australian Open result: First round (2018, 2019)
24. Victoria Azarenka
2021 hard-court record: 18-6
Best 2021 hard-court result: Indian Wells finalist (l. Badosa)
Best Australian Open result: Two-time champion (2012, 2013)
G’day mate
— victoria azarenka (@vika7) December 30, 2021
👋🏻 Aussie
Back in Adelaide ✌🏻 pic.twitter.com/K0XwrjUgCP
25. Daria Kasatkina
2021 hard-court record: 26-11
Best 2021 hard-court result: St. Petersburg champion, Phillip Island Trophy champion
Best Australian Open result: Third round (2016)
26. Jelena Ostapenko
2021 hard-court record: 19-13
Best 2021 hard-court result: Indian Wells semifinalist (l. Ostapenko)
Best Australian Open result: Third round (2017, 2018)
27. Danielle Collins
2021 hard-court record: 28-11
Best 2021 hard-court result: San Jose champion
Best Australian Open result: Semifinalist (2019)
28. Veronika Kudermetova
2021 hard-court record: 18-17
Best 2021 hard-court result: Abu Dhabi finalist
Best Australian Open result: Third round (2021)
29. Tamara Zidansek
2021 hard-court record: 8-12
Best 2021 hard-court result: Abu Dhabi quarterfinalist (l. Kostyuk)
Best Australian Open result: Second round (2019, 2020)
30. Camila Giorgi
2021 hard-court record: 16-10
Best 2021 hard-court result: Montreal champion
Best Australian Open result: Third round (2015, 2019, 2020)
31. Marketa Vondrousova
2021 hard-court record: 29-12
Best 2021 hard-court result: Olympic finalist (l. Bencic), Moscow semifinalist, Chicago semifinalist
Best Australian Open result: Round of 16 (2021)
32. Sara Sorribes Tormo
2021 hard-court record: 26-13
Best 2021 hard-court result: Miami quarterfinalist, Guadalajara champion
Best Australian Open result: Second round (2020)
