World No.1 Simona Halep will not face a top 10 seed until at least the quarterfinals after the draw for the Madrid Open took place on Friday morning.
Halep, who is bidding to win the tournament for a third consecutive year, will start her campaign against Ekaterina Makarova. A Russian world No.32 who knocked out Angelique Kerber at last year’s French Open. Since then, Makarova has struggled to find her range on the tour. Further on in the tournament, Halep could face a tricky encounter with Elise Mertens, who is yet to lose a match of the clay this season after winning the Lugano Open in Switzerland.
Halep’s Madrid Open record
Runner-up in 2014
Winner in 2016, 2017
Total main draw win-loss to date = 17-5
Also in the same section as the top seed is Madison Keys, a potential third round opponent. Stuttgart champion Karolina Pliskova will start her campaign against Elena Vesnina and could play Victoria Azarenka in the second round. Azarenka is set to play her first tournament on the clay in almost two years (French Open 2016). If all goes according to the seedings, Pliskova will take on Halep in the last eight.
Caroline Wozniacki will be bidding to win her first title on the dirt since 2011. The Danish second seed will take on Daria Gavrilova in the first round. Wozniacki will not take on a player ranked higher than 15th (Anastasija Sevastova) in the first three rounds prior to a potential clash with Jelena Ostapenko in the quarter-finals.
It is in Osatapenko’s half where there are a landmine of threats facing her. She will open against Romania’s Irina-Camille Begu, a two-time quarter-finalist in Madrid. Then a lacklustre Maria Sharapova could be a second round opponent. Sharapova has lost her opening match at the last three tournaments she has played in. According to the seeds Coco Vandeweghe should reach the third round, but she faces tough opposition from Indian Wells winner Naomi Osaka and last year’s Madrid finalist Kristina Mladenovic.
this section of the Madrid draw:
[5] Ostapenko vs Begu
Sharapova vs Buzarnescu
Osaka vs Zhang
[12] Vandeweghe vs Mladenovicfasten your seatbelt.
— Diego Barbiani (@Diego_Barbiani) May 4, 2018
Elsewhere in the draw, Garbine Muguruza will be hoping to end her nightmare run at the Caja Magica. Yet to progress beyond the second round of the event, the third seed opens against China’s Peng Shuai. Elina Svitolina takes on Alize Cornet and Caroline Garcia faces Dominika Cibulkova in their first round matches.
The main draw will get underway on Sunday.
Projected quarter-finals (according to rankings)
Simona Halep – Karolina Pliskova
Garbine Muguruza – Venus Williams
Caroline Garcia – Elina Svitolina
Jelena Ostapenko – Caroline Wozniacki
