The 2023 Madrid Open also known as the Mutua Madrid Open for Sponsorship reasons is a joint men’s and women’s tennis tournament held in Madrid. The clay-court ATP Tour Masters 1000 event is scheduled to be held from April 24 to May 7. Top-class men’s and women’s players from all over the world will compete in the tournament to clinch the title in their respective categories. The main draw matches of the Madrid Open 2023 will get underway on Wednesday, April 26.
The WTA draw for the Madrid Open promises a lot of action in the Spanish capital. British star Emma Raducanu has been drawn a qualifier in the first round. The 20-year-old young Briton has to get through a very tough challenge to advance into the third round as she could face world no.1 Iga Swiatek in the second round. Swiatek, who recently won the Stuttgart Open, leads 2-0 against Raducanu.
Swiatek, the first-seeded player in the Madrid Open most recently defeated the 2021 U.S. Open champion in the Round of 16 at Indian Wells earlier in March. The 21-year-old Pole has only once competed in Madrid before, losing to Australian Ashleigh Barty in the Round of 16 in 2021. Swiatek was forced to withdraw from last year’s event due to a shoulder injury.
If Raducanu keeps her calm and delivers her best tennis to beat fellow Grand Slam champion Swiatek, then the Briton will face reigning Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina in the quarterfinals. The 2021 French Open title winner Barbora Krejcikova is also loaded in the same draw and could meet seventh-seed Rybakina in the Round of 16.
At the other end of the draw is world no.2 Aryna Sabalenka, who recently bowed out to Swiatek in the Stuttgart Open final. The reigning Australian Open champion’s first opponent will be either Sorana Cirstea or Lauren Davis in the second round. The Romanian Cirstea stunned Sabalenka in the Miami quarterfinals last month but she will have to roll past the 29-year-old experienced American.
One of the other interesting names in the draw is Coco Gauff as the American teenager has the ability and skills to upset the top-ranked players. Gauff will kick off her Madrid campaign against the winner of the match between Kaia Kanepi and Shelby Rogers. Ons Jabeur, who own the trophy last year, will be hoping to defend her title despite the recent injury scare. The Tunisian will face either Ana Bogdan or Anna Bondar in the first round.
