World No.1 Iga Swiatek to lead the star-studded Madrid Open field along with Aryna Sabalenka, Paula Badosa, and Emma Raducanu
Follow Us
Garbine Muguruza, Barbora Krejcikova, Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek
Last year, Aryna Sabaelnka won the Madrid Open after defeating Ashleigh Barty in the final, although only one of those players will return this year. Barty has definitely retired, while Sabalenka has had a difficult start to her season. Iga Swiatek leads the field, having fallen to Barty last year and vowing to perform better this year in the event, which runs from April 28th to May 7th.
World number 2, Krejcikova, who is back from injury, Sakkari, who prefers clay, and Paula Badosa, who will proudly wave the Spanish flag for the spectators, will be joining her. Overall, the top 20 players have signed up for the tournament, including Emma Raducanu, who has never competed before in Caja Magica.
Iga Swiatek will be the star in this open as the 20-year-old will be looking to claim this title, considering the fact that she couldn’t participate in the WTA Charleston Open due to injuries. This will be her first clay-court game for the season and the Pole will look to start the season with a bang and start it with a positive note to conquer her second Grand Slam and follow the steps of her idol, Rafael Nadal.
Iga Swiatek will face tough competition
The Madrid Open is not going to be easy for Iga Swiatek who will be facing the top 16 players of the world and not to mention some others including Naomi Osaka, Leylah Fernandez, Belinda Bencic, Simona Halep, Madison Keys, etc to name a few.
Naomi Osaka has already proved herself to be a formidable opponent by reaching the finals and playing against the Pole herself. But this time, she is determined to make her time count and said, “I’m clearly not a clay expert, but I feel like if I get my movement together, I should be pretty good. I grew up on green clay, being from here, so it shouldn’t be that foreign to me. And I know Madrid, Sabalenka won that last year, so I think that there are opportunities for me to do well.” Nevertheless, world no. 1 should keep a wary eye on her.
Another formidable opponent for the Pole would be Swiatek world no. 21 Belinda Bencic, who has proved time and again that she is at the top of her form and proved that by reaching the semis of the Miami Open 2022, where she lost against Osaka. After she is also the youngest quarter-finalist in the US Open after Martina Hingis.
But it looks like these two opponents are not going to be the only ones giving trouble as all the top 10 players in the tennis world are playing for this title. Looks like we will have to see if Iga Swiatek can continue breaking records or if her run ends here.
But before the Madrid Open, the Monte-Carlo Open is the next big thing to watch out for before the French Open as Iga Swiatek will have to give her best shot to face the likes of World no. 3 Paula Badosa, World no. 4 Maria Sakkari, and of course World no. 2 Barbara Krejcikova who has not been able to participate in the Indian Wells and Miami Open due to an injury. The doubles French Open champion, if given an opportunity, can give Swiatek a tough time. The Monte Carlo Open is the starting point to the climax i.e., the French Open which will also give the audience a glimpse of who to watch out for.
Stay Updated!
Harini Mahesh
(159 Articles Published)