Sunday's Stuttgart champion Iga Swiatek and runner-up Aryna Sabalenka, the top two-ranked players in the world, will head right over to Spain as they lead the main draw for the Mutua Madrid Open, the first clay-court WTA 1000 event of the season.
Main-draw action in the Spanish capital begins on Tuesday, April 25, with this year's field expanding from 64 to 96 players at the two-week combined women's-and-men's event. There are 32 seeded players this year, and all the seeds receive a first-round bye.
The singles final will take place on Saturday, May 6 and the doubles final occurs on Sunday, May 7.
The main draw was unveiled on Sunday. Here's a quarter-by-quarter breakdown of some key placements:
First quarter
Swiatek could meet a former Grand Slam champion as early as the second round, where she will face the winner of the match between 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu and a qualifier. Swiatek is 2-0 against Raducanu, most recently winning in the Round of 16 at Indian Wells this year.
Your wish is our command 🧞♂️
— #MMOPEN (@MutuaMadridOpen) April 23, 2023
📷 The first pictures of @EmmaRaducanu at the #MMOPEN
☺️ Welcome back Emma! pic.twitter.com/jcqU9LXkN8
Top seed Swiatek has only played in Madrid once before -- she lost in the 2021 Round of 16 to then-World No.1 and eventual finalist Ashleigh Barty. Swiatek withdrew from last year's edition with a shoulder injury.
Swiatek could meet reigning Wimbledon champion and No.7 seed Elena Rybakina in the quarterfinals if seedings hold. Also in that section is No.11 seed Barbora Krejcikova, the 2021 Roland Garros champion, who could face Rybakina in the Round of 16.
Madrid 2023: Dates, draws, prize money and everything you need to know
Second quarter
No.3 seed Jessica Pegula, who reached the Madrid final last year, heads up the second quarter, where she will play Jasmine Paolini or a qualifier after her first-round bye. No.8 seed Daria Kasatkina could be Pegula's quarterfinal opponent according to seeding.
Former World No.3 Elina Svitolina is in this section, in her first WTA 1000 event since her maternity leave. Svitolina, who could potentially face Pegula in the third round, has never progressed beyond the Madrid second round in her seven prior main-draw appearances.
Hi @MutuaMadridOpen 😍 pic.twitter.com/4Gveiv2BkP
— Elina Monfils (@ElinaSvitolina) April 21, 2023
Former World No.1 Victoria Azarenka, seeded 15th this year, is a possible Round-of-16 opponent for Pegula or Svitolina. Azarenka reached the Madrid final twice in a row in 2011 and 2012, losing to Petra Kvitova and Serena Williams respectively.
Third quarter
Defending champion and World No.4 Ons Jabeur was initially the highest-ranked player in this quarter, but she withdrew from the tournament on Monday due to a left calf injury.
Remaining in this quarter, No.6 seed Coco Gauff and No.9 seed Maria Sakkari could be headed for a showdown in the Round of 16 if seedings hold. Jelena Ostapenko and Sofia Kenin are Grand Slam champions in this quarter as well.
The third quarter also features the singles return of Barbora Strycova after her maternity leave. Former WTA Doubles World No.1 Strycova, who plans to play a handful of events this season, opens against Elisabetta Cocciaretto.
Hello everyone, an update on my situation @MutuaMadridOpen pic.twitter.com/Du04vH2uLU
— Ons Jabeur (@Ons_Jabeur) April 24, 2023
Fourth quarter
Sabalenka, the 2021 Madrid champion, sits at the bottom of the draw as the No.2 seed. Sabalenka's first match will be against either Lauren Davis or Sorana Cirstea in the second round. Cirstea pulled off a massive upset of Sabalenka just last month in the Miami quarterfinals.
The bottom quarter also features No.10 seed Petra Kvitova, who will play the 100th WTA 1000 main draw of her career at an event where she has had tremendous success. Kvitova is the Mutua Madrid Open title leader, winning the event three times, in 2011, 2015 and 2018.
Kvitova is seeded to face No.5 seed Caroline Garcia in a potential Round of 16 meeting. Also in the bottom quarter are No.13 seed Beatriz Haddad Maia and 2021 US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez, who could square off in the second round.