The year's first WTA 1000 clay-court event is about to get underway next week, with the Hologic WTA Tour heading to the Spanish capital for the Mutua Madrid Open.

Eighteen of the world's Top 20 players are expected to participate in the outdoor red-clay event, which is celebrating its 15th edition as a WTA 1000 tournament.

Here's what you need to know about Madrid:

When does the tournament start?

Main-draw play begins on Tuesday, April 23, and the event continues through Sunday, May 5th at the iconic Caja Magica. The qualifying rounds will take place on Monday, April 22 and Tuesday, April 23.

The singles main draw contains 96 players. There will be 32 seeded players, and all seeds will receive first-round byes. Seventy-six players in total receive direct entry into the main draw, and there will be eight wild cards and 12 qualifiers.

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The doubles main draw will have 32 teams, including three wild-card pairings.

Madrid is on Central European Summer Time (GMT+2).

The Dunlop Fort Clay Court ball will be used at the Mutua Madrid Open.

Champions Reel: How Aryna Sabalenka won Madrid 2023

When are the finals?

The singles final will take place Saturday, May 4, not before 6:30 p.m. The doubles final will occur on Sunday, May 5 at 3:30 p.m.

When are the draws?

The singles draw was released on Sunday. The doubles main draw will be released on Tuesday, April 23.

Who are the defending champions?

Aryna Sabalenka won her second Mutua Madrid Open singles title in three years by defeating World No.1 Iga Swiatek 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 in last year's final. Sabalenka also beat the reigning World No.1 in the 2021 Madrid final, when she toppled Ashleigh Barty.

In last year's doubles final, Victoria Azarenka and Beatriz Haddad Maia bested Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula 6-1, 6-4 to capture the title. Azarenka had previously won the Madrid doubles title back in 2011 alongside Maria Kirilenko.

What are the points and prize money on offer in the singles main draw?

First round: 10 points | €20,360
Second round: 35 points | €30,255
Third round: 65 points | €51,665
Round of 16: 120 points | €88,440
Quarterfinals: 215 points | €161,995
Semifinals: 390 points | €284,590
Finalist: 650 points | €512,260
Champion: 1000 points | €963,225

Who is playing?

The cut-off for singles direct entry was based on the Hologic WTA Tour rankings of March 25. No.72 Taylor Townsend was the last direct entry at that time.

Former World No.1 Caroline Wozniacki received one of the first main-draw wild cards. Wozniacki was a finalist at the inaugural WTA 1000 edition of Madrid in 2009 (l. to Dinara Safina).

Other main-draw wild cards this week are 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu, Amanda Anisimova, Alexandra Eala, Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva, Robin Montgomery, and sisters Linda and Brenda Fruhvirtova.

Two-time Madrid champion Simona Halep initially received a wild card, but the former World No.1 pulled out in advance of the event.

World No.5 Jessica Pegula also withdrew while recovering from injury. World No.12 Karolina Muchova will also miss the event due to injury.

Top 16 seeds:

1. Iga Swiatek
Ranking: No.1
Year-to-date tour-level win-loss record, at WTA and Grand Slam events: 24-4 (2 titles)
Best Madrid result: Finalist (2023)

2. Aryna Sabalenka
Ranking: No.2
Year-to-date tour-level win-loss record, at WTA and Grand Slam events: 15-5 (1 title)
Best Madrid result: Champion (2021, 2023)

3. Coco Gauff
Ranking: No.3
Year-to-date tour-level win-loss record, at WTA and Grand Slam events: 19-6 (1 title)
Best Madrid result: Round of 16 (2022)

4. Elena Rybakina
Ranking: No.4
Year-to-date tour-level win-loss record, at WTA and Grand Slam events: 26-4 (3 titles)
Best Madrid result: Round of 16 (2022)

5. Maria Sakkari
Ranking: No.6
Year-to-date tour-level win-loss record, at WTA and Grand Slam events: 15-7
Best Madrid result: Semifinals (2023)

6. Zheng Qinwen
Ranking: No.7
Year-to-date tour-level win-loss record, at WTA and Grand Slam events: 13-7
Best Madrid result: Round of 32 (2023)

7. Marketa Vondrousova
Ranking: No.8
Year-to-date tour-level win-loss record, at WTA and Grand Slam events: 8-5
Best Madrid result: Round of 64 (2021, 2023)

8. Ons Jabeur
Ranking: No.9
Year-to-date tour-level win-loss record, at WTA and Grand Slam events: 3-7
Best Madrid result: Champion (2022)

9. Jelena Ostapenko
Ranking: No.10
Year-to-date tour-level win-loss record, at WTA and Grand Slam events: 17-7 (2 titles)
Best Madrid result: Round of 32 (2019, 2021, 2023)

10. Daria Kasatkina
Ranking: No.11
Year-to-date tour-level win-loss record, at WTA and Grand Slam events: 16-9
Best Madrid result: Quarterfinals (2018)

11. Beatriz Haddad Maia
Ranking: No.13
Year-to-date tour-level win-loss record, at WTA and Grand Slam events: 9-10
Best Madrid result: Round of 64 (2022, 2023)

12. Jasmine Paolini
Ranking: No.14
Year-to-date tour-level win-loss record, at WTA and Grand Slam events: 14-8 (1 title)
Best Madrid result: Round of 64 (2022)

13. Danielle Collins
Ranking: No.15
Year-to-date tour-level win-loss record, at WTA and Grand Slam events: 22-7 (2 titles)
Best Madrid result: Round of 32 (2019, 2022)

14. Ekaterina Alexandrova
Ranking: No.16
Year-to-date tour-level win-loss record, at WTA and Grand Slam events: 12-10
Best Madrid result: Semifinals (2022)

15. Liudmila Samsonova
Ranking: No.17
Year-to-date tour-level win-loss record, at WTA and Grand Slam events: 4-9
Best Madrid result: Round of 16 (2023)

16. Elina Svitolina
Ranking: No.18
Year-to-date tour-level win-loss record, at WTA and Grand Slam events: 11-6
Best Madrid result: Round of 32 (2015, 2016, 2018)

Former Madrid champions entered: Ons Jabeur (2022), Aryna Sabalenka (2021, 2023)
Former Madrid finalists entered: [WC] Caroline Wozniacki (2009), Victoria Azarenka (2011-2012), Iga Swiatek (2023)

Among the other notable names entered include four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka, who came back from maternity leave at the start of the season.

Grand Slam champions inside the Top 16 seeds are Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff, Elena Rybakina, Marketa Vondrousova and Jelena Ostapenko.

Other Grand Slam champions in the field are Victoria Azarenka and Barbora Krejcikova (who are seeded inside the Top 32), Sloane Stephens, Sofia Kenin, Wozniacki, Raducanu and Osaka.

What are some of the Mutua Madrid Open superlatives?

Player with the most Mutua Madrid Open singles titles: Petra Kvitova (3 titles - 2011, 2015, 2018)

Youngest singles champion: Petra Kvitova (2011 - aged 21 years, 2 months)
Oldest singles champion: Serena Williams (2013 - aged 31 years, 7 months)

Singles champions ranked World No.1 at the time of their title: Dinara Safina (2009), Serena Williams (2013)
Lowest-ranked singles champion: Aravane Rezai (2010 - ranked No.22 at the time)

No.1 seed vs. No.2 seed singles finals: 2013 (No.1 seed Serena Williams d. No.2 seed Maria Sharapova) and 2023 (No.2 seed Aryna Sabalenka d. No.1 seed Iga Swiatek)

How did the rest of last year's clay-court season play out?

Here's a look at last year's champions and finalists from the upcoming clay-court events:

Madrid (WTA 1000): Aryna Sabalenka d. Iga Swiatek

Rome (WTA 1000): Elena Rybakina d. Anhelina Kalinina

Strasbourg (WTA 250): Elina Svitolina d. Anna Blinkova
Rabat (WTA 250): Lucia Bronzetti d. Julia Grabher

Roland Garros (Grand Slam): Iga Swiatek d. Karolina Muchova