Madrid draw: Defending champ Swiatek finds Eala, Ostapenko in her section
The Mutua Madrid Open main draw came out on Sunday, speeding up the countdown to the year's first WTA 1000 clay-court event.
Madrid: Draws | Scores | Order of play | Tournament info
It is, of course, a packed field, with 29 of the Top 30 players among the seeds (reigning Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova View Profile is the missing Top 30 player, due to injury).
View the entire main draw on the WTA website HERE!
Main-draw play begins on Tuesday, April 22. The 32 seeded players all get first-round byes and will start their campaigns on Thursday, April 24.
Here is a breakdown of the draw highlights:
First quarter
Top seeds: [1] Aryna Sabalenka View Profile , [8] Zheng Qinwen, [9] Paula Badosa View Profile , [15] Amanda Anisimova View Profile
Notable first rounds: Emma Raducanu View Profile vs. Suzan Lamens View Profile ; Veronika Kudermetova View Profile vs. Polina Kudermetova View Profile
Two-time Madrid champion Aryna Sabalenka View Profile tops the draw, and she will enter in strong clay-court form. This week, she reached her fourth Stuttgart final on indoor clay.
Sabalenka will face a qualifier in the second round, and she might face No. 15 seed Amanda Anisimova View Profile in the Round of 16. Anisimova won this year's first WTA 1000 title in Doha; she also leads Sabalenka 5-2 in their head-to-head.
Top Spaniard Paula Badosa View Profile is in this quarter as the No. 9 seed, although her lower back injury issues have caused her to miss or pull out of her last four scheduled events.
If Badosa plays, she is guaranteed to face a Kudermetova sister in the second round. Siblings Veronika, 27, and Polina, 21, will have their first-ever WTA meeting in the opening round.
At the bottom of this quarter is No. 8 seed Zheng Qinwen. In her most recent match on red clay, Zheng won the Olympic gold medal at Roland Garros.
Second quarter
Top seeds: [3] Jessica Pegula View Profile , [6] Jasmine Paolini View Profile , [10] Elena Rybakina View Profile , [14] Daria Kasatkina View Profile , [17] Elina Svitolina View Profile
Notable first rounds: Victoria Azarenka View Profile vs. Olga Danilovic View Profile ; McCartney Kessler vs. Bianca Andreescu View Profile
World No. 3 Jessica Pegula View Profile tops this quarter and will meet either Eva Lys View Profile or a qualifier in the second round. Pegula could meet No. 26 seed Ons Jabeur View Profile in a rematch of the 2022 Madrid final, which Jabeur won.
Pegula has won more tour-level matches than any player this year (26), although she was ousted in the Stuttgart quarterfinals by Ekaterina Alexandrova View Profile , who could be her Round of 16 opponent in Madrid.
The other end of this quarter could pit No. 6 seed Jasmine Paolini View Profile against No. 10 seed Elena Rybakina View Profile in the Round of 16. However, watch out for No. 17 seed Elina Svitolina View Profile , who just won the indoor clay-court title in Rouen and lurks in this section.
Also in this quarter, the Rouen runner-up, Olga Danilovic View Profile , will meet two-time Madrid finalist and former World No. 1 Victoria Azarenka View Profile in the first round.
Third quarter
Top seeds: [4] Coco Gauff View Profile , [7] Mirra Andreeva View Profile , [12] Karolina Muchova View Profile , [16] Beatriz Haddad Maia View Profile
No. 7 seed Mirra Andreeva View Profile is at the top of this section, as she seeks her third WTA 1000 title of the year following trophies at Dubai and Indian Wells.
Andreeva had her big breakthrough in Madrid two years ago, when she made the Round of 16 as a wild card on her 16th birthday. Andreeva, who will turn 18 during this year's edition, will meet either Renata Zarazua View Profile or Marie Bouzkova View Profile in the second round.
World No. 4 Coco Gauff View Profile is at the other end of this quarter. She has tricky potential opponents throughout her section, including Clara Tauson View Profile , who is edging closer to a Top 20 debut, and Belinda Bencic View Profile , who is already back in the Top 50 after maternity leave.
Fourth quarter
Top seeds: [2] Iga Swiatek View Profile , [5] Madison Keys View Profile , [11] Emma Navarro View Profile , [13] Diana Shnaider View Profile
Notable first rounds: Naomi Osaka View Profile vs. Lucia Bronzetti View Profile ; Katie Volynets View Profile vs. Petra Kvitova
World No. 2 and defending champion Iga Swiatek View Profile sits at the bottom of the draw. She won her first Madrid title last year, saving three championship points to squeak past Sabalenka in the final.
Swiatek could see a familiar face in the second round: surging Filipina teenager Alexandra Eala View Profile , who knocked Swiatek out in the Miami quarterfinals. Eala would have to first beat Viktoriya Tomova View Profile to set up that rematch.
If Swiatek can get through that area, she could potentially face No. 23 seed Jelena Ostapenko View Profile in the Round of 16. Ostapenko just beat Swiatek in Stuttgart and holds a perfect 6-0 record in their head-to-head.
Also in that portion is Petra Kvitova, who holds the record for the most Madrid titles with three (2011, 2015 and 2018). Kvitova is still searching for the first win of her comeback from maternity leave. She faces Katie Volynets View Profile in the first round.
The other end of this quarter finds this year's lone Grand Slam champion thus far, Madison Keys View Profile . No. 5 seed Keys could meet another Grand Slam champion, Naomi Osaka View Profile , in the second round, if Osaka beats Lucia Bronzetti View Profile first.
