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Elena Rybakina has overtaken Aryna Sabalenka in the Race to the WTA Finals after her victory in Stuttgart, while Mirra Andreeva and Iga Swiatek are also on the rise.

World No 2 Rybakina defeated 11th-ranked Karolina Muchova 7-5, 6-1 in the Stuttgart final to secure her second title at the WTA 500 tournament played on indoor clay.

The Kazakh, who is the reigning Australian Open champion, also overcame Andreeva, Leylah Fernandez and Diana Shnaider during her run in Germany.

This week, attention has turned to the Madrid Open — the first clay-court WTA 1000 tournament of the season. Main draw action in the Spanish capital will take place from 21 April to 2 May.

What is the WTA Race to Riyadh?

The eight women who earn the most ranking points in the 2026 season will qualify for the season-ending WTA Finals, which will be staged in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia from 7 to 14 November.

If a current-year Grand Slam champion finishes between ninth and 20th in the Race, they will take the eighth and final qualification spot.

The prestigious tournament, which was first held in 1972, is played on indoor hard-court at the King Saud University Indoor Arena.

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Rybakina is the reigning WTA Finals champion, having claimed a record-breaking $5,235,000 for winning the 2025 edition of the event.

The players who finish ninth and 10th will travel to Saudi Arabia as alternates and have the chance to take the place of any players who withdraw.

The latest Race to Riyadh rankings

Rybakina collected 500 WTA ranking points for her triumph in Stuttgart, which lifted her total in the Race to 3,983 points.

This has seen Rybakina move 183 points clear of Sabalenka — who was due to play in Stuttgart, but pulled out before the event.

Jessica Pegula did not play last week, and she remains in third position with 2,905 points.

Elina Svitolina is still fourth in the Race after increasing her points total to 2,450 with a quarter-final run in Stuttgart.

Muchova took her tally to 2,270 points after her runner-up result, and she still occupies the No 5 spot.

Andreeva has climbed a position for the second straight week after her Stuttgart semi-final result took her to 2,063 points and moved her above Victoria Mboko into sixth. Mboko is still on 1,927 as she did not compete last week.

Coco Gauff remains in eighth place, but she has moved onto 1,803 points after she made the last eight in Germany.

Live WTA Race to Riyadh (as of 21 April)

1) Elena Rybakina – 3,983 (+1)
2) Aryna Sabalenka – 3,800 (-1)
3) Jessica Pegula – 2,905
4) Elina Svitolina – 2,450
5) Karolina Muchova – 2,270
6) Mirra Andreeva – 2,063 (+1)
7) Victoria Mboko – 1,927 (-1)
8) Coco Gauff – 1,803
Cutoff
9) Belinda Bencic – 1,187
10) Amanda Anisimova –1,130
11) Iga Swiatek – 1,128 (+1)
12) Iva Jovic – 1,111 (-1)
13) Sorana Cirstea – 970
14) Linda Noskova – 828 (+5)
15) Jelena Ostapenko – 826 (-1)

Swiatek reached the quarter-finals in Stuttgart, and she has moved above Iva Jovic to 11th in the Race.

READ NEXT: WTA Rankings: Rybakina chips away at Sabalenka lead, Gauff, Swiatek miss out, Ostapenko -18, Podrez +62

The post WTA Rankings Race To Riyadh: Elena Rybakina overtakes Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek & Mirra Andreeva climb appeared first on Tennis365.

Carlos Alcaraz’s wrist injury could have a big impact on the race to be World No 1 with Jannik Sinner set to benefit from the Spaniard’s absence.

After he withdrew from Barcelona and was later spotted wearing a wrist splint, fears have grown over whether Alcaraz will be fit enough to defend his Roland Garros title having defeated Sinner in the final last year.

The man himself has suggested he will not risk it if it was to put his longer term career in jeopardy but an extended absence could have a monumental impact on the points difference between the two best male players on the tour.

As it stands, leader Sinner is on 13,350 points while Alcaraz is 390 behind on 12,960. One of the most influential matters in the race though is Sinner’s doping ban from last year which meant he has a lot to gain and almost nothing to lose in the clay swing.

Sinner will begin his quest for the Madrid Open on Friday where he will be looking to secure 1,000 points for winning his fifth consecutive Masters title.

After that, he could head to Rome where he has 650 points to defend but winning the tournament would grant him an additional 350.

Then in Paris, Sinner has 1,300 points to defend and 700 to gain so should he win the next three tournaments, the Italian would end the clay swing on 15,400.

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Meanwhile for Alcaraz, he is in the opposite position of having a lot to lose and little to gain. He did not play in the Madrid Open last year so does not at least lose points there but he could lose 1,000 in Rome and then 2,000 in Paris, putting him down on 9,960.

This means that Sinner, who was 550 behind Alcaraz come the end of the Australian Open, could start the grass season 5,440 ahead.

At the start of the clay swing, Alcaraz hinted that he knew he was up against it given Sinner’s previous ban and said him losing top spot was a matter of when not if.

“To be honest, I’m going to lose No 1 in the world [at some point]. I don’t know if it is going to be at this tournament or in the next one,” said Alcaraz. “I’m defending a bunch of points that are going to be really difficult to defend. Even if I defend them, Jannik is going to add some points at these tournaments where he doesn’t have to defend any points.

“I will try to play my best and let’s see what happens, but for me the No 1 spot is not in my mind right now. I’m just trying to feel the best way on clay courts and let’s see how the clay swing goes.”

Read next: What is Carlos Alcaraz’s injury? The inflamed wrist that could keep him out of Roland Garros

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The post What Carlos Alcaraz’s injury could mean for ATP points race with Jannik Sinner appeared first on Tennis365.

Former world No 1 Boris Becker has assessed that Jannik Sinner is playing the best tennis of his career as he declared that the Italian is “from another planet.”

Sinner holds a 24-2 record in 2026, and he is on a 17-match winning streak after winning the Masters 1000 events in Monte Carlo, Miami and Indian Wells. He dropped just a single set across the three tournaments.

The 24-year-old’s maiden triumph in Monte Carlo saw him overtake Carlos Alcaraz to climb to the top of the ATP Rankings for the first time since November.

The four-time Grand Slam winner is only the second player to win the first three ATP Masters tournaments of the season after Novak Djokovic — who accomplished the feat in 2015.

If Sinner wins the Madrid Open, where ATP main draw action will begin on Wednesday, he will become the first man in history to win the first four Masters events in a season.

Speaking to Eurosport Spain, Becker discussed Sinner’s sensational form heading into the Madrid Open.

“Sinner is playing his best tennis right now,” said the six-time Grand Slam champion. “I’ve never seen him as strong as he is now.

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“Winning the Sunshine Double and then returning to Europe on clay, winning Monte Carlo and practically not losing a set, it’s incredible.

“He’s in top form and I think he might win in Madrid too, especially now that Alcaraz is injured. He’s from another planet.

“I call Sinner ‘Djokovic 2.0’, with a similar style from the baseline, very consistent. Plus, he wins his matches quickly.”

Sinner is the heavy favourite to triumph in Madrid after world No 2 Carlos Alcaraz — his biggest rival — was forced to pull out due to a wrist injury.

The world No 1 will face a qualifier in the second round at Caja Magica after receiving an opening round bye.

The Italian is chasing his maiden title at the Madrid Open, with his best result to date in the Spanish capital a run to the quarter-finals in 2024.

READ NEXT: Is a big threat to Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner finally emerging in men’s tennis?

The post Boris Becker says Jannik Sinner is ‘from another planet’ as he makes Madrid Open prediction appeared first on Tennis365.

The question on everyone’s mind right now is will Carlos Alcaraz play in the French Open after the Spaniard suffered a wrist injury.

The World No 2 was forced to pull out of the Barcelona Open and any notion that it is a minor injury was soon ruled out when he was spotted with a full splint around his right wrist.

And now according to Spanish TV show El Partido de COPE, Alcaraz has picked up an inflamed tendon sheath.

“In the sheath of the tendon, which is inflamed,” Angel Ga Muñiz said. “His wrist has been immobilised for four days, since last Friday. And that test, that decisive test, that key test that Carlos Alcaraz talks about is a follow-up ultrasound.

“The first one was done right after the injury in Barcelona. At that very moment, the decision was already made that Madrid was impossible and it was already suspected that Rome would also be very difficult, and they were dreaming about Roland Garros. Now that dream seems a bit further away.

“Everything depends on what comes out in that follow-up ultrasound, on whether the inflammation has gone down, on whether that sheath that protects the tendon is better. But obviously Rome now seems absolutely impossible, and Roland Garros looks bad.

“Does that mean he’s not going to play? No. Alcaraz wants to dream that he can be there and that, obviously, a tournament he’s won the last two editions of well deserves a certain risk — but not a risk that would put the rest of the season and the rest of his career at risk.”

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The tendon sheaths are synovial-lined, fluid-filled tunnels that cover tendons, lubricating them and protecting them from friction against bone, particularly during hand movement. Inflammation of that area, also known as tenosynovitis, can be painful given how frequently the wrist moves and makes it harder to use your hand as you normally would.

Continuing to play while having such an injury could lead to worsening conditions such as tendon rupture or in extreme cases, death of the tendon tissues.

To treat it, a player must reduce any stress on the tendon – which is why Alcaraz has been wearing a splint – as well as applying hot or cold to the area to reduce inflammation. In some cases, surgery may be required.

A normal person should be back to full fitness in a couple of weeks, but tennis players are putting much more stress on that area. Alcaraz has insisted he will not rush back into playing if it risks his longer-term career.

“I’d rather come back a little later but in great shape than come back early, rushing around, and unwell,” Alcaraz told Spanish television channel TVE.

“God willing, I have a very long career ahead of me – many years – and pushing myself too hard at this Roland Garros could seriously harm me in future tournaments.

“Things happen in the professional world. You have to accept them.

“I need to recover really well if I don’t want it to affect me later on.”

Read next: Novak Djokovic schedule: Tennis great gives update about Rome and Roland Garros

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The post What is Carlos Alcaraz’s injury? The inflamed wrist that could keep him out of Roland Garros appeared first on Tennis365.

Novak Djokovic’s absence from the ATP Tour looks set to continue for at least another couple of weeks as he has hinted that he could miss the Italian Open although there is better news with regards to the French Open.

The 24-time Grand Slam winner has played only nine matches this year with six coming at the Australian Open – one of his encounters was a walkover – and three at the Miami Open with his last competitive clash on 12 March when he lost against Jack Draper in the round of 16 in Florida.

Having already missed the Monte Carlo Masters, Djokovic also confirmed last week that he would not take part in this week’s Madrid Open due to an unconfirmed injury.

The Italian Open is the last ATP Masters 1000 tournament on clay before Roland Garros, but if the world No 4’s latest comments are anything to go by, then he won’t be in Rome.

“I have an injury, I hope to be ready at least for Roland Garros. I’m working to get to Rome but I can’t make a prediction now because it depends on the progress of the injury. At least for Roland Garros I’m ready,” he told Spanish media during the Laureus World Sports Awards.

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If he does indeed head to Roland Garros without playing any warm-up events on clay, it will be the first time in his career that he has done so as he has always played at least one ATP 1000 event before competing in Paris.

Last year, Djokovic played six matches spread across three tournaments on clay before the French Open as he lost his opening matches at the Monte Carlo Masters and Madrid Open before winning four matches at the Geneva Open, where he won the ATP 250 trophy.

The Serbian then went on to reach the semi-final in Paris before losing in straight sets against then world No 1 Jannik Sinner.

Djokovic, of course, still has an option to defend his title in Switzerland this year with the tournament starting on 17 May with the final set for 23 May, one day before Roland Garros gets underway.

As things stand, he is not on the entry list with Taylor Fritz, Alexander Bublik and Casper Ruud the top-20 players who have been confirmed by tournament organisers. However, he was also not on the list 12 months ago before receiving a late direct entry.

But Djokovic is no stranger to not playing any warm-up tournaments before Grand Slams as he didn’t enter any ATP events before this year’s Australian Open and still reached the final, losing against Carlos Alcaraz.

He also didn’t play any events before last year’s US Open and Wimbledon and reached the semi-finals of both of those Grand Slams.

The post Novak Djokovic schedule: Tennis great gives update about Rome and Roland Garros appeared first on Tennis365.

Carlos Alcaraz’s wrist injury has dominated tennis headlines in recent days, and there are fresh concerns over the Spanish superstar’s condition after a new photo emerged.

The seven-time Grand Slam champion withdrew before his second round match at the Barcelona Open last week due to a right wrist injury he sustained in his opening round win.

In a press conference announcing his withdrawal, Alcaraz said: “It’s a more serious injury than we all expected, and I have to listen to my body so it doesn’t affect me in the future.”

Two days later, Alcaraz was forced to pull out of the Madrid Open, an ATP Masters 1000 tournament which will begin on Wednesday.

The 22-year-old, who is a two-time Madrid Open champion, also missed last year’s edition of the event in the Spanish capital due to injury.

“Madrid is like home to me – one of the most special stops on the calendar – and that’s why it hurts so much not to be able to play here for the second year in a row,” Alcaraz said.

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A photo of Alcaraz wearing a brace on his wrist has since appeared online, which has sparked fears among some fans and tennis analysts on social media.

Para que os hagáis una idea de la seriedad de la lesión que se ha hecho Alcaraz.

Así tiene ahora mismo la muñeca, completamente inmovilizada con una férula.

Preocupación alta 🚨🚨🚨 https://t.co/ZQYruAFN6h pic.twitter.com/dGD7qnT7ma

— José Morón (@jmgmoron) April 20, 2026

Jose Moron, the director of Spanish tennis website Punto de Break, tweeted that he has “high concern” over Alcaraz’s injury after seeing the photo.

Alcaraz’s next scheduled tournament is the Italian Open in Rome — the third clay-court Masters 1000 event and last big event before the French Open. The Italian Open will begin on 5 May.

After missing the 2025 Madrid Open with an adductor injury he suffered in the Barcelona Open final, Alcaraz won the Italian Open and the French Open — beating Jannik Sinner in both finals.

Alcaraz will aim to win a third consecutive French Open title if he is fit to compete at Stade Roland Garros.

READ NEXT: Carlos Alcaraz told he may have a ‘problem’ after injury blow as mistake highlighted by ex-world No 4

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Jack Draper has become the latest ATP star to withdraw from the Madrid Open with the total number of players who have pulled out of the combined ATP-WTA tournament now more than 20.

The WTA 1000 competition gets underway on Tuesday, 21 April at Caja Magica in the Spanish capital while the ATP event starts the following day, but organisers have suffered several withdrawals in the buildup to the tournament.

The biggest setback so far has been the absence of two-time champion and Spanish hero Carlos Alcaraz as the world No 2 withdrew last week after picking up a forearm injury during his Barcelona Open campaign.

That news came just hours after tennis great Novak Djokovic announced that he would not feature at the ATP Masters tournament as he is still recovering from an unspecified injury.

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Draper was due to be seeded 24th in Madrid, but he sustained an injury at the Barcelona Open last week and has confirmed he has “An aggravated tendon in my knee” that not only puts him out of the Spanish tournament but also the Italian Open.

American duo Taylor Fritz (No 7) and Francis Tiafoe (No 19) are the other two seeded players who have pulled out of the clay-court tournament.

ATP Madrid Open withdrawal list

• • Carlos Alcaraz (world No 2) – replaced by Sebastian Ofner
  • Novak Djokovic (world No 4) – replaced by Adam Walton
  • Taylor Fritz (world No 8) – replaced by Roberto Bautista Agut
  • Frances Tiafoe (world No 19) – replaced by Jesper de Jong
  • Jack Draper (world No 28) – replaced by Lucky Loser (TBC)
  • Holger Rune (world No 39) – replaced by Francisco Comesana
  • Sebastian Korda (world No 40) – replaced by Alexander Shevchenko
  • Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard (world No 53) – replaced by Alexandre Muller
  • Arthur Cazaux (world No 73) – replaced by Alexander Blockx
  • Kamil Majchrzak (world No 74) – replaced by Thiago Agustin Tirante

WTA Madrid Open withdrawal list

There is better news for organisers in terms of the top-10 women as they will all be in action with Aryna Sabalenka headlining the draw along with Elena Rybakina, Coco Gauff and Iga Swiatek.

But Karolina Muchova has been the highest seed to withdraw as the 11th-seeded Czech pulled out following her runners-up finish at the Stuttgart Open.

Muchoav lost against Rybakina in the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix final and has cited fatigue as the reason for her withdrawal.

Emma Raducanu (No 27), Emma Navarro (No 28) and Maya Joint (No 29) are the other seeded players who have withdrawn.

• • Karolina Muchova (world No 11) – replaced by Viktorija Golubic
  • Emma Raducanu (world No 27) – replaced by Ajla Tomljanovic
  • Emma Navarro (world No 28) – replaced by Ashlyn Krueger
  • Maya Joint (world No 29) – replaced by Moyuka Uchijima
  • Sara Bejlek (world No 34) – replaced by Zeynep Sonmez
  • Barbora Krejcikova (world No 41) – replaced by Irina-Camelia Begu
  • Marketa Vondrousova (world No 42) – replaced by Julia Grabher
  • McCartney Kessler (world No 47) – replaced by Kamilla Rakhimova
  • Sonay Kartal (world No 55) – replaced by Petra Marcinko
  • Varvara Gracheva (world No 55) – replaced by Eva Lys
  • Veronika Kudermetova (world No 66) – replaced by Taylor Townsend

The post Madrid Open withdrawals: Jack Draper latest to pull out as list increases to 21 appeared first on Tennis365.

Feliciano Lopez believes that it will be ‘almost impossible’ for Carlos Alcaraz to participate in the upcoming Italian Open, adding that he had a similar injury and was out for eight weeks.

The world No 2 recently withdrew from the Barcelona Open, due to wrist discomfort, after winning his second-round match and, later, opted out of the Madrid Masters – both tournaments where he is a two-time champion.

Prior to his withdrawals, Alcaraz reached the final of the Monte-Carlo Masters and lost to Jannik Sinner 7-6(5), 6-3, relinquishing his world No 1 status for the first time since mid-2025.

That loss also represented his first clay-court loss against the Italian in nearly four years.

The six-time Grand Slam is next scheduled to participate in the Italian Open, which takes place from May 6 – 17.

However, Lopez – who is the tournament director of the Madrid Masters – believes that Alcaraz’s injury will force him out of Rome and, most worryingly, may put him in doubt for the French Open.

It should also be noted that the former world 12 admitted to not having directly spoken to the Spaniard since his injury.

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“I’ve had that injury myself,” revealed the Spaniard during an interview with Radioestadio Noche.

“From what I’ve heard, it’s a very common injury in the world of tennis. I think his wrist tendon is a bit inflamed, I imagine, and I hope it’s not ruptured,” said Lopez.

“Now it’s time to recover because it’s not a muscle strain from overuse, since he arrived tired from Monte Carlo, and something like this can happen to you. There are many small tendons in the wrist.

“I was out for about two months. I don’t know what his injury is like, the extent of it.

“I was out for two months, but of course, when I got it, I could barely hold the racket until a few days after the match ended.

“In the end, what I wish for him is a speedy recovery because it’s an important season for him.

“It’s true that Carlos wins on every court, but first comes Madrid, then Rome, another Masters 1000, and then Roland Garros, where he’s defending his title.

“There are 4,000 points at stake and the prestige of three major tournaments. Madrid is out, Rome seems almost impossible to me.”

This year’s series of withdrawals echo a familiar pattern from 12 months ago, when Alcaraz sustained a right adductor injury in the Barcelona Open final and was forced to miss the Madrid Masters.

Fortunately for the Spaniard, that setback proved relatively minor. He returned in time for the Italian Open and the French Open – going on to win both.

This time, however, the world No 2 has offered little clarity, declining to reveal the exact nature of the injury or a recovery timeline during his withdrawal press conference in Barcelona.

“It’s just discomfort, discomfort that pops up, considering the few days I’ve had to recover, when everything has been practically back-to-back, so in the end things come up in some unusual movements,” he commented.

“We’ve tried to calm ourselves down, try to keep going, and above all, be more relaxed, especially in the second set, and see what happens.

“It’s a discomfort I’ve had before, which has never led to anything more serious, so let’s hope it’s the same this time.”

The post Carlos Alcaraz injury concern escalates as Feliciano Lopez doubts Rome and French Open participation appeared first on Tennis365.

The 2026 Madrid Open men’s singles draw is out, and Jannik Sinner’s entry has been confirmed, while Ben Shelton, Lorenzo Musetti and Arthur Fils have landed in the same quarter.

The tournament at Caja Magica is the second clay-court ATP Masters 1000 event of the season following the Monte Carlo Masters. This will be the 24th edition of the men’s tournament in the Spanish capital.

Main draw ATP action at the Madrid Open will get underway on Wednesday 22 April, and it will conclude with the final on 3 May.

The draw features 96 players, including 32 seeds, who receive an opening round bye. The top eight seeds are: Jannik Sinner, Alexander Zverev, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Ben Shelton, Alex de Minaur, Lorenzo Musetti, Daniil Medvedev and Alexander Bublik.

Casper Ruud is the defending champion, having beaten Jack Draper in the 2025 final.

Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic and Taylor Fritz were among the players to withdraw before the draw was made, while Draper pulled out shortly after the draw.

ATP Madrid Open draw

World No 1 Jannik Sinner, who is chasing his fifth consecutive Masters 1000 title and maiden Madrid Open crown, will begin his campaign against a qualifier.

The Italian could then play 32nd seed Gabriel Diallo in the third round and 15th seed Tommy Paul in the fourth round before a potential quarter-final meeting with fifth seed Alex de Minaur.

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De Minaur faces a tough draw as he could play Rafael Jodar in his opening match and 27th seed Joao Fonseca in the third round, while ninth seed Andrey Rublev is his projected last 16 opponent.

No 4 seed Ben Shelton and No 6 seed Lorenzo Musetti are projected to meet in the second quarter-final, but they will have to navigate a strong section that also features Jiri Lehecka (11), Valentin Vacherot (14) and Arthur Fils (21).

In the bottom half, third seed Felix Auger-Aliassime and eighth seed Alexander Bublik are projected to meet in the third quarter-final. Reigning champion Ruud, who is seeded 12th, could face Bublik in the fourth round.

Second seed Alexander Zverev, who is a two-time Madrid Open champion, could face No 7 seed Daniil Medvedev in the last eight in the bottom quarter.

Zverev will play Nuno Borges or Mariano Navone in his opening match before a potential third round meeting with Ugo Humbert, while 13th seed Karen Khachanov is his projected fourth round opponent.

Full @MutuaMadridOpen draw 🧵

First quarter 👇 pic.twitter.com/AA60bHXte6

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) April 20, 2026

ATP Madrid Open projected quarter-finals

• Jannik Sinner (1) vs Alex de Minaur (5)
• Ben Shelton (4) vs Lorenzo Musetti (6)
• Alexander Bublik (8) vs Felix Auger-Aliassime (3)
• Daniil Medvedev (7) vs Alexander Zverev (2)

READ NEXT: Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner’s 3 biggest future rivals revealed by Boris Becker

The post ATP Madrid Open draw: Sinner’s entry confirmed; Shelton, Fils & Musetti in same quarter appeared first on Tennis365.

The 2026 Madrid Open draw is out and both halves are stacked as defending champion Aryna Sabalenka finds herself in the same half as Iga Swiatek, Mirra Andreeva and Elina Svitolina while Elena Rybakina has Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula and Victoria Mboko.

The WTA 1000 event at Caja Magica gets underway on 21 April with the first-round matches while the tournament comes to a conclusion on Saturday, 2 May with the women’s final set for Manolo Santana main court.

World No 1 Sabalenka was the first name on the draw sheet and she – along with the other 31 seeds – has a bye into the second round before she opens her campaign against either Peyton Stearns or Lois Boisson.

The four-time Grand Slam winner, who is a three-time winner in Madrid, is projected to face 14th seed Naomi Osaka in the fourth round while she could take on either eighth seed Jasmine Paolini or 11th seed Belinda Bencic in the quarter-final.

If the seedings hold, then Sabalenka will face fourth seed Swiatek in the last four, although the Pole is yet to reach a semi-final this year and she has some difficult matches to get through.

Swiatek, who won the title in 2024, takes on a qualifier or Daria Kasatkina in the second round while she could face 18-year-old rising star Iva Jovic in the fourth round, although the 15th-seeded American will likely have to get past 24th seed Leylah Fernandez in the third round.

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The winner of the Swiatek bracket will face either Andreeva or Svitolina in the quarter-final and the Pole has lost against both players so far this campaign.

Andreeva beat Swiatek in the quarter-final in Stuttgart while Svitolina got the better of the reigning Wimbledon champion at the Indian Wells Open.

Ninth seed Andreeva, who won the Linz Open a fortnight ago, starts off against either a qualifier or Kimberly Birrell while Svitolina faces one of Anna Bondar/Viktorija Golubic.

Bottom Half Draw

Fresh from winning the Stuttgart Open, Rybakina starts against the winner of the Elena-Gabriela Ruse-Antonia Ruzic encounter before a possible third-round clash with former Australian Open finalist Zhang Qinwen.

Rybakina is projected to meet 2025 Australian Open winner Madison Keys, who faces Zhang Shuai or Eva Lys first up, in the fourth round and sixth seed Amanda Anisimova in the quarter-final.

American Anisimova kicks off her campaign against either Dayana Yastremska or Solana Sierra while she could meet 12th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova in the fourth round.

The bracket also features rising star Alex Eala with the Filipina starting her campaign against a qualifier and, if she gets through that clash, she could take on 19th seed Elise Mertens in the second round.

Third seed Gauff headlines Section 6 and she starts against either Oksana Selekhmeteva or a qualifier while she is projected to meet 13th seed Linda Noskova in the fourth round and fifth seed Jessica Pegula in the quarter-final.

Pegula, though, has a tough draw as she will face either Taylor Townsend or Katie Boulter in the second round and possibly 27th seed Marta Kostyuk in the third round.

But the tough matches won’t stop there as she will likely have to get past 10th seed Mboko, who takes on either Caty McNally or a qualifier in her opener, in the fourth round.

Projected Quarter-Finals

Sabalenka v Paolini
Swiatek v Svitolina
Pegula v Gauff
Anisimova v Rybakina

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