The world No. 1 ranking and top seed also means the easiest draw for Aryna Sabalenka at the WTA 1000 Mutua Madrid Open. Sabalenka faces the smoothest path to the title, based on the average world ranking of most likely opponents, for the 96-player event that starts April 22 in Spain’s capital city.
After a first-round bye, Sabalenka is scheduled to face a qualifier in Round 2. Her first match against a seeded opponent likely would be against No. 28 seed Elise Mertens, against whom Sabalenka has won her last seven meetings.
Sabalenka, who won the most recent WTA 1000 tournament last month in Miami, was runner-up to Iga Swiatek at the 2024 Madrid event.
Breaking down the WTA 1000 Mutua Madrid Open draw
By luck of the draw, sisters Veronika Kudermetova and Polina Kudermetova will face each other for the first time at the WTA level. Veronika, age 27, a former top 10 player, is currently ranked No. 52. Polina, age 21, has risen to No. 54.
No. 8 seed Qinwen Zheng got the toughest draw among the top-seeded players, based on the average world ranking of likely opponents. Her first match is guaranteed to be against a top-40 player – either No. 35 Ashlyn Krueger or No. 39 Anastasia Potapova. Zheng has made it to the quarterfinals at her last three events, but she might have to beat four top-10 players in a row to win this title.
Two-time Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka got the toughest draw in the field, based on the average world ranking of likely opponents. Azarenka, a two-time Australian Open champion currently ranked 48th, drew No. 34 Olga Danilovic – and conceivably could play the rest of her matches against opponents ranked no worse than No. 22.
No. 46 Dayana Yastremska has the best opportunity among the unseeded players, based on the average world ranking of likely opponents. She is guaranteed to face a qualifier in the first round. If – granted, a big if – Yastremska can avenge her 2024 Madrid loss against No. 4 seed Coco Gauff in the second round, she would have a comparably smooth path to the quarterfinals.