After first-round bye, Swiatek will face Collins or a qualifier in first match of Qatar TotalEngeries Open
Seven of the Top 10-ranked players will contest the WTA 500 Qatar TotalEnergies Open on hard courts starting on Monday. Here's a quick breakdown of the 28-player draw, which came out on Saturday:
Top Half
Defending champion Iga Swiatek heads the draw as the top seed. After her first-round bye, World No.1 Swiatek will face Danielle Collins or a qualifier. A possible match against Collins could be tricky -- the American knocked Swiatek out in the 2022 Australian Open semifinals.
No.7 seed Belinda Bencic or former World No.1 Victoria Azarenka could be potential quarterfinal opponents for either Swiatek or Collins.
In the second quarter, No.4 seed Coco Gauff has a first-round bye, and will face either Zhang Shuai or two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova in her first match.
At the bottom of that section, No.8 seed Veronika Kudermetova will meet former Roland Garros champion Barbora Krejcikova in the first round. The winner of that match will take on either Liudmila Samsonova or former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin.
Bottom Half
The third quarter is led by No.3 seed Caroline Garcia (with a first-round bye) and No.5 seed Maria Sakkari. Sakkari has a tricky opener against Zheng Qinwen, last season's WTA Newcomer of the Year.
The final quarter sees No.2 seed Jessica Pegula at the very bottom of the draw, with a first-round bye. Pegula will meet either her fellow American Madison Keys or former Roland Garros champion Jelena Ostapenko in her first match.
No.6 seed Daria Kasatkina is also in the bottom quarter. Kasatkina will play a qualifier first up, with the winner of that match facing either Paula Badosa or Beatriz Haddad Maia in a tough second-rounder.
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