Former No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki and former world No. 2s Svetlana Kuznetsova and Agnieszka Radwanska are the leading favorites on paper this week in Istanbul, but all face early-round challenges at the TEB BNP Paribas Istanbul Cup.
ADHEREL
TEB BNP PARIBAS ISTANBUL CUP
ISTANBUL, Turkey; surface: clay
Seeds: Caroline Wozniacki, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Agnieszka Radwanska, Zhang Shuai, Ekaterina Makarova, Sorana Cirstea, Irina-Camelia Begu, Aryna Sabalenka
Floaters: Sara Errani, Kirsten Flipkens, Donna Vekic, Qiang Wang
Notes:
The former No. 1 Wozniacki is the lone Top 10 and Top 25 player in the field…
Interesting starts for (1) Woz 2nd rd. vs. the Errani/Flipkens winner, the struggling (3) Radwanska vs. the riser Vekic, and the back-from-injury (2) Kuznetsova vs. Wang who she has struggled against in past encounters…
All-Turkey wildcards went to Ayla Aksu, Cagla Buyukakcay and Ipek Oz…
Pulling out of the field were Naomi Osaka, Beatriz Haddad Maia, Kateryna Kozlova and Tatjana Maria…
Elina Svitolina beat Elise Mertens in last year’s final…
Former winners in the field are Buyukakcay (2016), Wozniacki (2014), and Radwanska (2008).
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