The Hologic WTA Tour heads to the Spanish capital next week for the Mutua Madrid Open, the first WTA 1000 event of the clay-court season. This year's event features a bigger field and an expanded format that includes seven rounds of singles action over 13 days.
Here's what you need to know about the 13th edition of Madrid:
When does the tournament start?
The Mutua Madrid Open is a WTA 1000 event held on outdoor red clay at the Caja Magica. This year the tournament has been expanded from a 64-player singles draw to a 96-player draw. As a result, an unseeded player will need to win seven matches to win the title. The doubles draw has expanded from 30 teams to 32.
While the 2022 edition was played over 10 days, this year's Madrid is bigger and better than ever. The tournament will be played over 13 days and is followed by the second WTA 1000 of the clay swing in Rome, which also features an expanded field and two-week format. The back-to-back WTA 1000 tournaments are the biggest clay-court events leading into the second major of the season at Roland Garros.
Main-draw play in Madrid begins on Tuesday, April 25. The tournament will use the Dunlop Fort Clay Court ball.
When are the finals?
The singles final will be played on Saturday, May 6 at 6:30 p.m.
The doubles final will be played on Sunday, May 7 at 3:30 p.m.
Who are the Top 16 seeds?
Seeding is based on the Hologic WTA Tour rankings on Monday, April 17.
Projected seeds:
1. Iga Swiatek
2. Aryna Sabalenka
3. Jessica Pegula
4. Ons Jabeur (withdrew on Monday)
5. Caroline Garcia
6. Coco Gauff
7. Elena Rybakina
8. Daria Kasatkina
9. Maria Sakkari
10. Petra Kvitova
11. Barbora Krejcikova
12. Veronika Kudermetova
13. Beatriz Haddad Maia
14. Liudmila Samsonova
15. Victoria Azarenka
16. Ekaterina Alexandrova
After the draw was made, defending champion and No.4 seed Ons Jabeur withdrew from the event on Monday due to a left calf injury. Jabeur saw her seven-match win streak come to an end when injury forced her to retire after three games to Swiatek in the Stuttgart semifinals.
Before the draw was made, World No.11 Belinda Bencic withdrew from Madrid and Rome due to hip injury. Karolina Pliskova, who was projected to be seeded No.16, withdrew due to knee injury.
Who were last year's champions?
Ons Jabeur won the biggest title of her career last year in Madrid, defeating Jessica Pegula 7-5, 0-6, 6-2.
In doubles, Gabriela Dabrowski and Giuliana Olmos defeated Desirae Krawczyk and Demi Schuurs 7–6(1), 5–7, [10–7] to take home the 2022 title.
What does the draw look like?
Main draw @MutuaMadridOpen, where Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka, Jessica Pegula, and Ons Jabeur are the top seeds. pic.twitter.com/lwp6fWUdmm
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) April 23, 2023
Shelby Rogers will take Jabeur's place in the main draw as the No.33 seed. Rogers' previous position will be filled by a qualifier or lucky loser.
For a full analysis of the Madrid draw, click here.
What is the prize money and ranking points on offer?
First Round: €16,340/10 points
Second Round: €27,045/35 points
Third Round: €48,835/65 points
Fourth Round: €84,900/120 points
Quarterfinals: €161,525/215 points
Semifinals: €308,790/390 points
Finalist: €580,000/650 points
Champion: €1,105,265/1000 points
Key storylines
Swiatek returns to Madrid: In the midst of her 37-match, six-title winning streak last spring, the World No.1 opted out of Madrid to take a well-earned breather. As a result, for the first time since February she has no points to defend. After taking a 45-day break after Indian Wells to heal a rib injury, Swiatek picked up right where she left in her return to Stuttgart, defeating No.2 Aryna Sabalenka to successfully defend her title.
Madrid remains the one big European clay event that Swiatek has yet to win. She has only played it once, in 2021, and made the Round of 16 in her debut. She lost to then-No.1 Ashleigh Barty.
The Top 3 are looking sharp: Along with Swiatek, No.2 Sabalenka, No.3 Pegula all look primed for a deep run in Madrid. Sabalenka is a former champion and already leads the tour with four finals this season, having made a third straight final in Stuttgart. Pegula made her mark at the WTA 1000-level last year by making the final. Pegula already started her clay season in Charleston, where she made the semifinals.
Injury concerns for Rybakina and Kvitova: Indian Wells champion Rybakina and Miami champion Kvitova were forced out of Stuttgart with injuries.
Coming off a weekend in Kazakhstan for the Billie Jean King Cup Qualifiers, Rybakina was forced to retire in her second match in Stuttgart due to a lower back injury.
Kvitova was unable to take the court at all, withdrawing ahead of the tournament citing a foot injury. The Czech is a three-time champion in Madrid, most recently taking the title in 2018. If she is fit to play, Madrid will be her 100th appearance at a WTA 1000 tournament.
One to watch: Anastasia Potapova has been causing consistent problems for the Top 10. The 22-year-old has beaten Gauff in back-to-back tournaments in Miami and Stuttgart and had Pegula on the ropes twice in Indian Wells and Miami. She then knocked off Garcia in Stuttgart to advance to the biggest semifinal of her career.
