Silicon Valley Classic 2022: Women's singles draw analysis, preview & prediction
The 2022 Silicon Valley Classic is one of three tournaments happening in a busy week of tennis. The WTA 500 event is set to run from August 1-7, with qualifying matches taking place over the preceding weekend.
Plenty of big names have signed up for the event. Five of the top 10 players are in the draw. World No. 3 Maria Sakkari is the top seed, followed by Paula Badosa, Wimbledon runner-up Ons Jabeur and Aryna Sabalenka. Two-time Grand Slam winner Garbine Muguruza, 2022 French Open finalist Coco Gauff and former World No. 1 Karolina Pliskova are also in the mix.
Reigning Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina returns to action following her maiden Grand Slam triumph. Four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka, who hasn't competed since the French Open due to an achilles injury, is also making her comeback.
Danielle Collins was the defending champion, but withdrew prior to the tournament due to a neck injury. With a ton of high-profile names in contention, there's not going to be a dull moment in San Jose this week. Let's take a look at how the Silicon Valley Classic draw could pan out over the next week:
Top half: Ons Jabeur and Maria Sakkari look to fend off Grand Slam champs Bianca Andreescu and Garbine Muguruza
Seeded players: (1) Maria Sakkari, (3) Ons Jabeur, (5) Garbine Mugurza and (8) Karolina Pliskova
Expected semifinal: Maria Sakkari vs Ons Jabeur
Dark horse: Katie Boulter
Analysis: Top seed Maria Sakkari had a pretty good hardcourt season at the start of the year. A fourth-round showing at the Australian Open was followed by runner-up finishes in St. Petersburg and Indian Wells. The Greek will look to replicate her form on the surface yet again.
After a first-round bye, Sakkari will face either Shelby Rogers or Bianca Andreescu. The Canadian returned to action earlier in April during the clay season, and this will be her first match on hardcourts. Rogers is a tough opponent to face and is known to knock out accomplished players from time to time. If Sakkari plays at her best, she's a lock to reach the quarterfinals at the Silicon Valley Classic from this section.
Karolina Pliskova's year has been quite tumultuous. She missed the start of the season due to an injury and her results since her comeback haven't been that great. She's up against Katie Boulter in the first round. This will be their third straight match. The Brit defeated her at Eastbourne and Wimbledon in their previous two events and will be aiming to make it three in a row at the Silicon Valley Classic.
The winner is likely to take on Amanda Anisimova in the second round. She's up against compatriot Ashlyn Krueger, who's unlikely to challenge her. Anisimova has been in great form over the last few months and is likely to defeat either Pliskova or Boulter to make the quarterfinals as well.
Anisimova's likely to meet Sakkari in the last eight. The World No. 3 leads 2-0 in the head-to-head, so she has a slight edge heading into their contest.
Third seed Ons Jabuer is also in the top half of the draw at the Silicon Valley Classic. Aside from a shock first-round loss at the French Open, she has reached the final in four of her last five tournaments, including Wimbledon. After a first-round bye, she'll take on either Madison Keys or Zhang Shuai.
Good morning, San Jose!
Good morning, @Ons_Jabeur! ☀️😍
#MubadalaSVC https://t.co/v0ANywJImX
Keys made it to the semifinals of the Australian Open and won the title on hardcourt in Adelaide too. Zhang has also won a title on the surface and both players could challenge Jabeur, but given the Tunisian's consistency, she's a safe bet to reach the last eight at the Silicon Valley Classic from this part of the draw.
Fifth seed Garbine Muguruza is also in this section of the draw. The Spaniard's having a rough year, with a 8-12 record for the season so far. She's up against Camila Giorgi in the first round, who defeated her at the Eastbourne International a few weeks ago. However, the Italian isn't known for her consistency, so this match could swing either way.
Beatriz Haddad Maia started the grass swing by winning two consecutive titles, but then lost in the first round of Wimbledon. She has a winnable first-round match against Claire Liu, with either Muguruza or Giorgi awaiting her after that. The Brazilian has a good shot at reaching the quarterfinals, but is likely to lose to Jabeur once she reaches there.
Predicted semifinal: Ons Jabeur vs Maria Sakkari
Bottom half:Paula Badosa headlines and Naomi Osaka returns to Silicon Valley Classic for the 1st time since 2017
Seeded players: (2) Paula Badosa, (4) Aryna Sabalenka, (6) Coco Gauff and (7) Daria Kasatkina
Expected semifinal: Paula Badosa vs Aryna Sabalenka
Dark horse: Qinwen Zheng
Analysis: A title in Sydney, fourth round at the Australian Open, semifinals in Indian Wells and quarterfinals in Miami, Paula Badosa did quite well during the hardcourt season at the start of the year. After a first-round bye, the Spaniard is likely to meet Alison Riske in the second round.
The American is a tricky opponent to face, but Badosa should be able to get past her to reach the quarterfinals. Coco Gauff reached her maiden Grand Slam final at the French Open a few weeks ago. She was unable to replicate her form at Wimbledon, losing in the third round. Her hardcourt season in the first half of 2022 was average, with a semifinal in Adelaide and a quarterfinal showing in Doha being her best results.
Gauff is up against Anhelina Kalinina in the opening round. The Ukrainian has improved considerably this year and could put up a fight against the teenager. Should the young American get past her, she could meet Naomi Osaka in the second round at the Silicon Valley Classic.
Osaka started the year by reaching the semifinals of the Melbourne Summer Set. Her title defense ended in the third round of the Australian Open, despite holding a match point against Amanda Anisimova. She bounced back in style by reaching the final in Miami, where she lost to the in-form Iga Swiatek.
Osaka will take on rising Chinese player Qinwen Zheng in the first round. The 19-year old reached the fourth round of the French Open, where she put up a huge fight against eventual champion Swiatek before going down. Osaka will need to be at her best to oust the youngster.
An Osaka-Gauff match-up in the second round will be a dream contest for many. The former World No. 1 leads 2-1 in the head-to-head and is a better player on hardcourts as well. She'll have the edge to make the last eight from here, where she could meet Badosa.
Fourth seed Aryna Sabalenka headlines the most open section of the draw. After a first-round bye, she's up against a qualifier in the second round. The Belarusian has been quite inconsistent this year, but given her draw, she should at least win a match to make the quarterfinals.
The #MubadalaSVC draw is out! Which first round matchup are you most excited to see? https://t.co/Si1vze5gfk
Reigning Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina will take on seventh seed Daria Kasatkina in the first round. The Kazakh is playing in her first tournament since her triumph at the All England Club. She'll be eager to back up her maiden Grand Slam win with another title at the Silicon Valley Classic.
Kasatkina has been in decent form as well, so Rybakina has her task cut out for her. But the Kazakh should power past her opponent into the second round, where she's likely to meet Veronika Kudermetova. The Russian has found considerable success across singles and doubles this year. She has reached a couple of finals on hardcourts in singles, while also winning a doubles title on the surface. She's likely to provide a stern test as well.
Should Rybakina get past Kudermetova, she's likely to take on Sabalenka in the quarterfinals. While the Belarusian has been all over the place this year, she leads 3-0 in the head-to-head against the Wimbledon champion. Rybakina has been handed quite a challenging draw at the Silicon Valley Classic. She now also has to deal with the additional pressure of performing well as a Grand Slam champion, which could prove to be too much for her.
Predicted semifinal: Naomi Osaka vs Veronika Kudermetova
Prediction for the final: Naomi Osaka def. Ons Jabeur