WTA Montreal Draw: Venus-Keys in first round blockbuster; Wozniacki begins comeback against qualifier

The first WTA 1000 event on the American summer stretch kicks off next week with the WTA Canadian Open in Montreal and the draw reveal on Friday threw up some exciting opening round clashes as well the likelihood of some big matches in later rounds. Here’s a quick breakdown of the 56-player draw, which includes opening round byes for the top 8 seeds.

• First Quarter: Swiatek, Muchova French Open final re-match possible in third round

World No 1 Iga Swiatek, fresh off her title on home soil in Warsaw, heads into Montreal with her No 1 ranking under threat. If the Pole loses before the quarter-finals and Aryna Sabalenka wins the title, the Belarusian could supplant Swiatek as the top-ranked player.

Swiatek will face former world No 1 Karolina Pliskova or China’s Lin Zhu in the second round. The Pole could face 14th seed Karolina Muchova in the last 16 in a rematch of their French Open final which Swiatek won in three close sets.

Swiatek’s projected quarter-final opponent is Maria Sakkari, who is into the semis in Washington DC this week. The sixth seed, from Greece, has a tough road to get to the last eight with Wimbledon semi-finalist Elina Svitolina possibly coming up in the second round, and either 11th seed Beatriz Haddad Maia, Spain’s Paula Badosa or former US Open runner-up Leylah Fernandez in the third round.

• Second Quarter: Pegula, Gauff projected to clash in quarters but all eyes on Wozniacki comeback

Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff are good friends and the top two ranked American women on tour. The pair, who could face off in the Washington final if they wins their semi-final matches today, are projected to meet in the Montreal quarter-finals.

Pegula has another American – 13th seed Madison Keys – as her projected last 16 opponent but Keys has a tough first round assignment against seven-time Grand Slam singles winner Venus Williams, who is entered as a wildcard. Keys has a 3-2 edge in career meetings against Williams, their last meeting coming in 2019.

Gauff has Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova as her projected last 16 opponent but all eyes in this quarter will be on Caroline Wozniacki, the former world No 1 who plays her first match since the 2020 Australian Open. The Dane plays a qualifier in the first round and could meet Vondrousova in the second if they both come through their opening matches.

The return begins in Montreal 📍

Welcome back former champion, Caroline Wozniacki 👋 😃

//

Le retour commence à Montréal 📍

Bienvenue à l'ancienne championne, Caroline Wozniacki 👋😃#OBN23 pic.twitter.com/Q0Qx82LwI8

— Omnium Banque Nationale (@OBNmontreal) August 4, 2023

• Third Quarter: Rybakina, Garcia projected to meet in last eight

World No 3 Elena Rybakina heads this section and could meet fifth seed Caroline Garcia in the quarter-finals. Rybakina faces a tough opener as she takes on the winner of the match between hard-hitting Jelena Ostapenko and comeback-bound American Jennifer Brady, the former Australian Open runner-up. The Kazakh also has two-time Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka, seeded 16th, and former US Open winner Sloane Stephens as possible third round foes.

Garcia opens her bid for the title against either Czech Marie Bouzkova or a qualifier and then has 10th seed Daria Kasatkina as her projected third round opponent.

• Fourth Quarter: Sabalenka, Kvitova could meet in big-hitting quarter-final

World No 2 Aryna Sabalenka continues her chase for the world No 1 ranking over the American summer hardcourt season. The Belarusian, who now trails Swiatek by 645 points, needs to win the title and hope Swiatek loses before the quarter-finals to leave Montral as the world No 1.

Sabalenka has 15th seed Liudmila Samsonova, who is into the Citi Open semis this week, in her third round and seventh seed Petra Kvitova in her quarter-final section. Kvitova could meet another former Grand Slam winner Bianca Andreescu in the second round and has 12th seed Belinda Bencic in her third round section.

Main draw in Montreal (WTA 1000), where Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina, and Jessica Pegula are the top seeds.

Montreal also sees the return of Caroline Wozniacki.

Notable 1Rs:

Keys-Venus
Kostyuk-Zheng Qinwen
Brady-Ostapenko
Vondrousova-Sherif
Haddad Maia-Badosa pic.twitter.com/EbDphp73Vy

— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) August 4, 2023

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