Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka will headline the main draw at the Madrid Mutua Open one week after playing the final at the Porsche Grand Prix in Stuttgart.
This year’s main field expands from 64 to 96 players at the two-week women’s and men’s tournament at the Madrid Caja Magica.
Swiatek, who beat Sabalenka in the Stuttgart final on Sunday, will take on either 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu or a qualifier. Top seed Swiatek leads 2-0 in her two previous head-to-head matches and beat her British opponent in the Round of 16 at Indian Wells last March.
In her only previous appearance in Madrid Swiatek lost to eventual finalist Ashleigh Barty. Swiatek withdrew from last year’s edition due to a shoulder injury. The Polish player lost to reigning Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina in the fourth round at last January’s Australian Open. Last February Swiatek successfully defended her title at the Doha Qatar Open by beating Jessica Pegula in the final. One month later she lost to Rybakina for the second time this year in the semifinals at Indian Wells. In last week’s Stuttgart Porsche Grand Prix Open Swiatek beat Zheng Qinweng, Karolina Pliskova, Ons Jabeur and Sabalenka to win her 13th career WTA title.
Swiatek is on a collision course for a potential quarter final clash against Elena Rybakina, who leads 2-1 in their three head-to-head matches.
Former Roland Garros champion Barbora Krejcikova could meet Rybakina in the Round of 16 in this section of the draw.
Number 3 seed Jessica Pegula will face either Italy’s Jasmine Paolini in the second quarter of the draw. Pegula, who reached the final in Madrid last year, could potentially face Elina Svitolina in the third round and Daria Kasatkina in the quarter final. Svitolina has never reached the third round in Madrid. The Ukrainian player will play her first WTA Tour 1000 tournament since her maternity leave. She made her come-back at the Charleston after giving birth to her daughter Skai.
Last year’s Wimbledon and US Open finalist Ons Jabeur headlines the third quarter of the draw. The Tunisian player will take on either Ana Bogdan or Anna Bondar.
Coco Gauff is seeded to play against Maria Sakkari in the round of 16 in this quarter of the draw, which also features former Grand Slam champions Jelena Ostapenko and Sofia Kenin, who won the 2017 French Open and the 2020 Australian Open respectively.
Barbora Strycova will face Elisabetta Cocciaretto in her come-back match after her maternity leave.
Sabalenka will meet either Lauren Davis or Sorana Cristea in the second round in the bottom of the draw. Cristea beat Sabalenka in the quarter final at the Miami Open. Sabalenka beat Rybakina in three sets in the final of the Australian Open final last January. She lost to Krejcikova in three sets in the quarter final in Dubai. She lost to Rybakina in the Indian Wells final in a re-match of the Australian Open title match.
The bottom half of the draw also features two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova, who could face last year’s WTA Finals champion Caroline Garcia in a potential Round of 16 match. Kvitova won three Madrid Mutua Open three times in 2011, 2015 and 2018.
In this section of the draw last year’s Nottingham and Birmingham champion Beatriz Haddad Maia could take on 2021 US Open finalist Leyah Fernandez.