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Simona Halep Madrid Open 2019
Tennis News, Tennis Tournaments, WTA Tennis Players

WTA Madrid Open 2021 Tournament Preview


The Madrid Open WTA 1000 event kicks off for 2021 after not being held in 2020. Who will have their eyes set on the trophy this time around?

Multiple former champions and the presence of the majority of the top-10 will make for a strong field at the Madrid Open this year.

Here, Tennishead looks on to the WTA 1000 tournament. When does it begin, who is taking part, and what showdowns could take place during the championship?

 

 

Dates

The women’s main draw for the Madrid Open runs from April 29th to May 9th. UK can watch all matches live on Amazon Prime Video. Otherwise please refer to our watch guide.

Players

64 players are competing for this year’s Madrid title. There are a total of 16 seeds, none of whom receive a first round bye. 2019 champion Kiki Bertens will be defending her title as the no. 7 seed, while finalist Simona Halep will be hoping to go one step further as the no. 3 seed.

7 of the top-10 players in the world are competing this time around, including world No. 1 Ashleigh Barty and Australian Open champion Naomi Osaka as the no. 1 and no. 2 seeds respectively.

While world No. 8 and two-time Madrid champion Serena Williams will not be present, older sister Venus Williams, currently ranked No. 91 in the world, has received a wildcard into the tournament.

Miami Open finalist Bianca Andreescu is also out due to injury, with Sofia Kenin withdrawing too.

However, a number of former champions are playing for the title this year, including 3-time champion Petra Kvitova and two-time champion Simona Halep.

Players taking part are outlined below, including seedings where appropriate. (WC) denotes a wildcard entry, (PR) is protected ranking, (Q) is qualifier and (LL) is lucky loser.

 

WTA Madrid Open Players List

 

Where is the event held?

The WTA 1000 tournament takes place at the Caja Magica in Madrid, Spain on outdoor clay courts. In case of rain, the main arena is furnished with a retractable roof.

Ranking points breakdown, Singles

Winner –  1000 points

Runner-up –  650 points

Semi-finals –  390 points

Quarter-finals –  215 points

Round of 16 –  120 points

Round of 32 – 65 points

Round of 64 –  10 points

Prize money breakdown, Singles

Winner – € 315,160 ($381,976)

Runner-up – € 188,280 ($228,196)

Semi-finals – € 106,690 ($129,309)

Quarter-finals – € 58,370 ($70,745)

Round of 16 – € 34,048 ($41,266)

Round of 32 – € 20,000 ($24,240)

Round of 64 – € 12,655 ($15,338)

 

 

Can I buy tickets for the tournament?

There will be limited crowds at this year’s event. Purchase tickets now as they’re going fast!

How can I follow the tournament?

You can follow the tournament on the official website, the official Twitter, or the official WTA Tour Twitter.

Possible Matchups

Naomi Osaka gets her Madrid campaign underway in an all-Japanese matchup with Misaki Doi, the only other Japanese player in the draw.

Provided she makes it past Doi and her second round opponent, Osaka could face 16th seed Maria Sakkari in the Round of 16, the woman who ended her 23-match win streak in the quarter-finals of the Miami Open.

Kiki Bertens looks likely to face three-time champion Petra Kvitova in the Round of 16, a tough draw for the 2019 champion. Garbine Muguruza faces 2019 semi-finalist Sloane Stephens in the first round in what could be an exciting encounter.

The previous two French Open champions will likely meet in the Round of 16 also, being top seed Ashleigh Barty and 14th seed Iga Swiatek respectively. The two Slam champions have never faced each other on tour before, but a first meeting on clay, the surface that each player has their sole Slam title on, should make for an enthralling battle.

Returning to Garbine Muguruza, another Roland Garros champion, the Spaniard could face 8th seed Belinda Bencic in the Round of 16 before potentially facing 4th seed Elina Svitolina in the quarter-finals.

Finally, if the bottom half of the draw runs in accordance with the seedings, Naomi Osaka would face 2019 runner-up Simona Halep in the semi-finals.


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