Madrid Open 2024: Women's singles draw analysis, preview, and prediction ft. potential Iga Swiatek vs Coco Gauff SF
The Mutua Madrid Open all set to begin on Tuesday, April 23. Top seed Iga Swiatek and defending champion Aryna Sabalenka will lead the women's draw, continuing their trend of headlining most recent tournaments.
The pair incidentally battled it out for the coveted trophy last year, with the Belarusian coming out on top in a grueling three-setter. Sabalenka also won the 2021 edition where she overcame former World No. 1 Ashleigh Barty.
The pair are set to be joined by the likes of Coco Gauff, Elena Rybakina, Ons Jabeur, and Marketa Vondrousova, who are also expected to mount a serious title charge amongst others.
Top Half: Coco Gauff and Maria Sakkari stand in Iga Swiatek's path to consecutive finals
Top seeds: [1] Iga Swiatek, [3] Coco Gauff, [5] Maria Sakkari, and [8] Ons Jabeur
Dark Horses: Jelena Ostapenko & Veronika Kudermetova
World No. 1 and last year's runner-up Iga Swiatek is set to open her campaign against either Wang Xiyu or Ana Bogdan in round two. She will likely face Romanian veteran Sorana Cristea in the third round should both of them proceed through safely.
Swiatek could likely face the winner between 16th seed Elina Svitolina and 23rd seed Victoria Azarenka in a blockbuster fourth-round clash.
Coco Gauff, seeded third, will start her campaign in the second round against either Brenda Fruhvirtova or Arantxa Rus. She may face a tough challenge in the third round against either 31st-seed Dayana Yastremska or compatriot Amanda Anisimova. Possible fourth-round opponents include 15th seed Liudmila Samsonova and 18th seed Madison Keys.
Last year's semi-finalists Maria Sakkari and Veronika Kudermetova have also found themselves in the top half of the draw. Sakkari is set to kick off her campaign against either Donna Vekic or a qualifier in round two. She could face Swiatek in the last eight should she make it through safely.
Kudermetova, meanwhile, is set to open with a blockbuster match against either Emma Raducanu or former World No. 1 Karolina Pliskova in the second round. She could very likely face Jelena Ostapenko in round three should she come through round two.
Jabeur features at the bottom of the top half of the draw and is set to kick off her campaign against either Sofia Kenin or Anna Karolina Schmiedlova. She could face 32nd seed Leylah Fernandes in round three, and the likes of either Kudermetova, Ostapenko or even Raducanu in the fourth round.
Bottom Half: Elena Rybakina and Marketa Vondrousova look to stop Aryna Sabalenka winning two in a row
Top seeds: [2] Aryna Sabalenka, [4] Elena Rybakina, [6] Zheng Qinwen, and [7] Marketa Vondrousova
Dark Horses: Danielle Collins and Marta Kostyuk
Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka is set to kick off her defense against either Magda Linette or Elisabetta Cocciaretto in the second round. She could come up against 26th seed Katie Boulter in round three. The clash against 13th seed Danielle Collins in the fourth round seems very likely should both proceed safely.
Elsewhere, Elena Rybakina will kick off her Madrid campaign against either Luciz Bronzetti or a qualifier. A Stuttgart final re-match against Marta Kostyk in the third round could be on the cards should they both win their opening matches.
Rybakina could face Ekaterina Alexandrova in the fourth round. Alexandrova won't have it easy, however, as she has a tough third-round match against compatriot Anna Kalinskaya to navigate through first.
Zheng Qinwen will kick off her campaign against either Yulia Putinseva or compatriot Yue Yuan. She could come up against 30th seed Anhelina Kalinina in the third round, and Daria Kasatkina or Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the following round should they all proceed through safely.
Marketa Vondrousova meanwhile will open her campaign against either Shuai Zhang or Shelby Rogers in round two. Linda Noskova is a possible third-round opponent, and the likes of Caroline Garcia or Jasmine Paolini could face her in round four.
Prediction for Final
Elena Rybakina to beat Iga Swiatek in straight sets.