Being the first seed doesn’t guarantee you an affordable draw, and it doesn’t, they say Iga Swiatek. The Pole has been the big victim in the draw for the Australian Open held this Thursday in Melbourne, ever since She will face a former tournament champion in the first round, the always dangerous Sofia Kenin. and, in case of victory, in second place with the winner of the other star duel of the first round, the Danielle Collins-Angelique Kerber.
She will later meet in the fourth round with Russian Veronika Kudermetova (16), in the quarterfinals with Czech Marketa Vondrousova (7) and in the semifinals with Kazakh Elena Rybakina (3).
For its part, the second favorite and defending champion, Aryna Sabalenka will debut against a player from the qualifying phaseand may face in the next rounds the Russian Liudmila Samsonova (13) in the fourth round, the Tunisian Ons Jabeur (6) in the quarterfinals and the American Coco Gauff (4) in the semifinals.
The current finalist in Melbourne, the Kazakh, will also start as strong candidates for the crown. Elena Rybakina (4), who will open her way against the Czech Karolina Pliskovaas well as American and current US Open champion Coco Gauff (3), who will debut against Slovak Anna Karolina Schmiedlova.
The main hope of the Spanish, Paula Badosacan consider herself lucky given her unseeded status, since His path will debut with the American Taylor Townsend.
Badosa was moved to the 74th position in the WTA list after a difficult 2023 in which she only participated in one Grand Slam (Wimbledon) as a result of a stress fracture of a vertebra, but she will have the opportunity to win her first positive result of the season in an Australian Open where She would meet Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova or Croatian Donna Vekic (21) in a hypothetical second clash.
Later she will face her Belarusian friend Aryna Sabalenka (2) in the fourth roundwith Tunisian Ons Jabeur (6) in the quarterfinals and American Coco Gauff (4) in the semifinals.
As for other Spanish women, Cristina Bucsa will face Russian Anna BlinkovaRebeka Masarova to Belarusian Aleksandra Sasnovich and Sara Sorribes to a player from the previous one.
Japanese people Naomi Osaka, champion of the 2019 and 2021 editions, will return to the Melbourne Park court in the first round against the French Caroline Garcia (16)after her absence in 2023 due to maternity, in what was one of the main attractions of the first round.
Australian Open
Possible quarterfinals
Iga Swiatek (1) – Marketa Vondrousova (7)
Elena Rybakina (3) – Jessica Pegula (USA)
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Maria Sakkari (8) – Coco Gauff (4)
Ons Jabeur (6) – Aryna Sabalenka (2)
Source: La Verdad
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