"Is this a Challenger or WTA?";"Definitely turning into this chaos" - WTA 1000 Guadalajara Open's "weak" draw amuses tennis fans
Some of the top women's players will descend in Mexico for the next WTA 1000 tournament, the 2023 Guadalajara Open, which will take place from September 17 to 23. World No. 7 Ons Jabeur and World No. 9 Maria Sakkari are the top two seeds in the tournament.
The main draw of the Guadalajara Open was released, and it has left many tennis fans in shock. Ons Jabeur, Maria Sakkari, Carolina Garcia, Madison Keys, and Belinda Bencic are the top 5 seeds.
Only 13 players in the top 30 of the WTA ranking will play in the event, making the draw for the WTA 1000 tournament unusual. This means that three players outside the top 30 (No. 32 Mayar Sherif, No. 33 Jasmine Paolini, and No. 34 Karolina Pliskova) have been seeded.
Tennis fans found the draw to be rather weak, considering the magnitude of the tournament and the points on offer. Many wondered how certain players, like World No. 232 Stacey Fung of Canada, could get direct entry into the main draw. Others were surprised that despite having such an open draw, players in top form like Beatriz Haddid Maia and Danielle Collins were unfortunately pitted against each other in the first round.
"Not sure which is more laughable? Paolini and Sherif being seeded top 15 or Stacey Fung getting direct entry in a WTA 1000," a fan said.
"Such a weak draw and then we Have Bia vs Collins," a tennis fan said.
Another fan wrote on X, "Whoever predicts the winner of this is like winning the lottery truly."
“Where Ons Jabeur and Maria Sakkari are the top seeds. The final will be Stacey Fung vs Emiliana Arango," a fan joked.
"Just cancel Guadalajara for years to come at this point," one fan declared.
Here are some more fan reactions to the Guadalajara Open draw:
Here are some of the Guadalajara Open's most interesting potential matchups
The second edition of the Guadalajara Open has one of the most open draws of any WTA 1000 tournaments this year. Top seeds Ons Jabeur, Maria Sakkari, and Caroline Garcia have struggled with injury and form this year and saw their rankings drop. Meanwhile, the absence of in-form stars like Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, Elena Rybakina, Coco Gauff, and reigning champion Jessica Pegula make the tournament even more interesting.
No. 1 seed Ons Jabeur will face either Alycia Parks or Lauren Davis in the second round. Meanwhile, Sakkari will be up against Storm Hunter or Iryna Shymanovich in the second round.
Per seeding, projected quarterfinals are: Jabeur vs. No. 8 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova, Sakkari vs. No. 5 seed Belinda Bencic, Garcia vs. No. 7 seed Veronika Kudermetova, and No. 4 seed Madison Keys vs. No. 6 seed Jelena Ostapenko.
Eugenie Bouchard, Lya Isabel Fernandez Olivares of Mexico, and Ajla Tomjlanovic have received main draw wildcards. Other notable first-round matches at the Guadalajara Open include Tomjlanovic vs. Taylor Townsend, Mayar Sherif vs. Camila Giorgi, and Kristina Mladenovic vs. Cristina Busca.