Defending Champion Jabeur Out, Swiatek Heads New 96-Draw Madrid Masters Field

A new era of Masters events has begun with the first 10-day Madrid event kicking off Tuesday. The draw size follows with 128 slots giving the top 32 seeds byes.

But defending champion Ons Jabeur had to withdraw yesterday due to a left calf injury she suffered in Stuttgart over the weekend.

That leaves the door open for French favorite and clay queen Iga Swiatek. The world No. 1 rolls into Madrid having just won Stuttgart and overall she’s taken 22 of her last 23 matches on this surface. And since she didn’t play last year, she will only build on her point total.

The draw is loaded with 16 of the Top 20 players in the field, missing only Jabeur, Belinda Bencic, Karolina Pliskova and Madison Keys.

A look at the Top 16 seeds: 1 Iga Swiatek, 2 Aryna Sabalenka, 3 Jessica Pegula, 5 Caroline Garcia, 6 Coco Gauff, 7 Elena Rybakina, 8 Daria Kasatkina, 9 Maria Sakkari, 10 Petra Kvitova, 11 Barbora Krejcikova, 12 Veronika Kudermetova, 13 Beatriz Haddad Maia, 14 Liudmila Samsonova, 15 Victoria Azarenka, 16 Ekaterina Alexandrova.

IGA SWIATEK QUARTER
Seeds: 1 Swiatek, 7 Rybakina, 11 Krejcikova, 16 Alexandrova, 22 Zheng, 23 Andreescu, 27 Martic, 28 Pera
Floaters: Kalinskaya, Raducanu, Cornet, Maria, Kovinic, Podoroska
Projected 3R matches: 1 Swiatek – 28 Pera, 22 Zheng – 16 Alexandrova, 11 Krejcikova – 23 Andreescu, 27 Martic – 7 Rybakina
Notes: All eyes will be on a potential rematch between Swiatek and Rybakina. Rybakina could face another French winner in Krejcikova before, though. Swiatek, playing just her second Madrid Masters, could face Emma Raducanu is a huge second rounder.

JESSICA PEGULA QUARTER
Seeds: 3 Pegula, 8 Kasatkina, 12 Kudermetova, 15 Azarenka, 18 Trevisan, 21 Potapova, 25 Teichmann, 29 Bouzkova
Floaters: Sasnovich, Stephens, Parks, Paolini, Tsurenko, Svitolina
Projected 3R matches: 3 Pegula – 29 Bouzkova, 18 Trevisan – 15 Azarenka, 12 Kudermetova – 21 Potapova, 25 Teichmann – 8 Kasatkina
Notes: American No. 1 Jessica Pegula is in a very favorite section in her defense of final points from last year. Azarenka is a former finalist and Elina Svitolina is also in the section.

COCO GAUFF QUARTER
Seeds: 6 Gauff, 9 Sakkari, 14 Samsonova, 19 Ostapenko, 20 Vekic, 26 Badosa, 31 Begu, 33 Rogers,
Floaters: Anisimova, Cocciaretto, Muchova, Fruhvirtova, Kanepi, Kontaveit, Volynets, Kenin
Projected 3R matches: 6 Gauff – 26 Badosa, 20 Vekic – 9 Sakkari, 14 Samsonova – 19 Ostapenko, 31 Begu – 33 Rogers.
Notes: With Jabeur gone, Coco Gauff is the headliner and she’ll face a tough quarter with adept clay courts like Maria Sakkari, Paula Badosa, Shelby Rogers and former French winner Jelena Ostapenko and finalist Sofia Kenin. The American teen could face the dangerous Kaia Kenepi, then Badosa and then Sakkari.

ARYNA SABALENKA QUARTER
Seeds: 2 Sabalenka, 5 Garcia, 10 Kvitova, 13 Haddad Maia, 17 Linette, 24 Mertens, 30 Kalinina, 32 Kostyuk
Floaters: Cirstea, Zhu, Giorgi, Putintseva, Fernandez, Niemeier
Notable openers: Yulia Putintseva-Claire Liu, Sorana Cirstea-Lauren Davis
Projected 3R matches: 5 Garcia – 30 Kalinina, 24 Mertens – 10 Kvitova, 13 Haddad Maia – 17 Linette, 32 Kostyuk – 2 Sabalenka
Notes: It’s a tricky quarter led by 2021 Madrid winner Sabelenka. But she could meet Sorana Cirstea in the her opener — the Romanian just beat her in Miami. Three-time winner Petra Kvitova and Carolina Garcia will likely have a say in who comes out.

The projected quarterfinals: No. 1 Swiatek – 7 Rybakina, No. 3 Pegula – 8 Kasatkina, No. 6 Gauff – 33 Rogers and 5 Garcia – 2 Sabalenka,

The semifinals could see Iga Swiatek-Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff-Aryna Sabalenka.

Former champions: Kvitova(3), Sabalenka
Former finalists: Pegula, Azarenka(2)

Last year, (8) Ons Jabeur defeated (12) Jessica Pegula 7-5, 0-6, 6-2.

LAST 10 MADRID CHAMPIONS/FINALS
2022 Ons Jabeur d Jessica Pegula 7-5, 0-6, 6-2
2021 Aryna Sabalenka d Ashleigh Barty 6-0, 3-6, 6-4
2019 Kiki Bertens d Simona Halep 6-4, 6-4
2018 Petra Kvitova d Kiki Bertens 7-6(6), 4-6, 6-3
2017 Simona Halep d Kristina Mladenovic 7-5, 6-7(5), 6-2
2016 Simona Halep d Dominika Cibulkova 6-2, 6-4
2015 Petra Kvitova d Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-1, 6-2
2014 Maria Sharapova d Simona Halep 1-6, 6-2, 6-3
2013 Serena Williams d Maria Sharapova 6-1, 6-4
2012 Serena Williams d Victoria Azarenka 6-1, 6-3

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