Wozniacki Joins Swiatek, Sabalenka, Rybakina And Gauff For WTA Canadian Open Masters

The first big summer hard court event gets underway Monday in for the Canadian Open women’s stop this year in Montreal

With 17 of the Top 20 players, the field is loaded and this year extra loaded with the return of former No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki and one-time Slam finalist Jennifer Brady.

The 33-year-old Wozniacki makes her return from retirement for her first event since the 2020 Australian Open. The former No. 1 is putting pressure of any sort of immediate results.

“Tennis-wise, I feel like I’m doing great in practice and it’s going to be just fine when I’m out there,” Wozniacki said to the WTA. “So I’m not stressing. I’m not worried. It’s just about getting more and more matches in and the more I play the better I’m going to play. I hope that I’m going to be at my peak for the US Open.

“Realistically when you haven’t been on tour and haven’t played a match in so long, no matter how much you practice, how many practice sets you’ve done, you can never replicate being on a match court.”

Wozniacki opens against a qualifier and then could face Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova and then Coco Gauff.

Overall, the top seeds are 1 Iga Swiatek, 2 Aryna Sabalenka, 3 Elena Rybakina, 4 Jessica Pegula, 5 Caroline Garcia, 6 Coco Gauff, 7 Petra Kvitova, 8 Maria Sakkari, 9 Marketa Vondrousova, 10 Daria Kasatkina, 11 Beatriz Haddad Maia, 13 Madison Keys, 14 Karolina Muchova, 15 Liudmila Samsonova and 16 Victoria Azarenka.

IGA SWIATEK QUARTER
Seeds: 1 Swiatek, 8 Sakkari, 11 Haddad Maia, 14 Muchova
Floaters: Pliskova, Potapova, Zhu, Badosa, Cirstea, Gracheva, Svitolina, Fernandez
Notable openers: Anastasia Potapova-Karolina Muchova, Beatriz Haddad Maia-Paula Badosa, Q/LL-Elina Svitolina
Projected 3R matches: 1 Swiatek – 14 Muchova, 11 Haddad Maia – 8 Sakkari
Notes: Iga Swiatek will likely be favored in all her matches this summer as the world No. 1 looks ahead to her US Open title defense. Swiatek might have to deal with former No. 1 Karolina Pliskova and then Karolina Muchova with Maria Sakkari, Leylah Fernandez, Beatriz Haddad Maia or the hot-handed Elina Svitolina. Svitolina could be the pick there. Haddad Maia meets Paula Badosa in a good opener.

JESSICA PEGULA QUARTER
Seeds: 4 Pegula, 6 Gauff, 9 Vondrousova, 13 Keys
Floaters: Vekic, Pera, Sherif, Paolini, Noskova, Marino, Venus Williams, Wozniacki
Notable openers: Q/LL-Caroline Wozniacki, Venus Williams-Madison Keys, Marketa Vondrousova-Mayar Sherif
Projected 3R matches: 4 Pegula – 13 Keys, 9 Vondrousova – 6 Gauff
Notes: While Jessica Pegula is the favorite in this section, all eyes will be on the return of Caroline Wozniacki. The former Canadian Open champion back in 2010 will play her first match in over three years against a qualifier. In the match of the first round, Madison Keys will open against Venus Williams. Pegula could face Keys and then Gauff for a spot in the semifinals. Vondrousova makes her debut as a Grand Slam champion.

ELENA RYBAKINA QUARTER
Seeds: 3 Rybakina, 5 Garcia, 10 Kasatkina, 16 Azarenka
Floaters: Ostapenko, Linette, Kalinina, Mertens, Bouzkova, Zhang, Stephens, Blinkova, Brady
Notable openers: Jennifer Brady-Jelena Ostapaneko, Elise Mertens-Daria Kasatkina, Victoria Azarenka-Magda Linette, Sloane Stephens-Anhelina Kalinina
Projected 3R matches: 5 Garcia – 10 Kasatkina, 16 Azarenka – 3 Rybakina
Notes: Elena Rybakina leads an open quarter which could see several different players emerge. Rybakina is the favorite then perhaps Garcia, but Azarenka and Stephens could surprise. And Brady returns to 1000 level action.

ARYNA SABALENKA QUARTER
Seeds: 2 Sabalenka, 7 Kvitova, 12 Bencic, 15 Samsonova
Floaters: Bencic, Zheng, Martic, Siniakova, Kostyuk, Davis, Bronzetti, Andreescu, ,
Notable openers: Q/LL-Bianca Andreescu, Liudmila Samsonova-Katerina Siniakova, Marta Kostyuk-Qinwen Zheng
Projected 3R matches: 7 Kvitova – 12 Bencic, 15 Samsonova – 2 Sabalenka
Notes: Belinda Bencic is a former champion in 2015 and Petra Kvitova won the title 11 years ago, world No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka is the player to beat. The Belarussian does have a tough road with potentially Martic, Samsonova and Kvitova in her path. Kvitova could face Bencic in the third round while Zheng and Marta Kostyuk battle in a tasty first rounder.

Former champions: Svitolina, Kvitova, Andreescu, Bencic, Wozniacki
Former finalists: Pliskova, Cirstea, Haddad Maia, Keys, Stephens

LAST 10 CANADIAN OPEN CHAMPIONS/FINALS
2022 Simona Halep d Beatriz Haddad Maia 6-3 2-6 6-3
2021 Camila Giorgi d Karolina Pliskova 6-3 7-5
2019 Bianca Andreescu d Serena Williams 3-1 RET
2018 Simona Halep d Sloane Stephens 7-6(6) 3-6 6-4
2017 Elina Svitolina d Caroline Wozniacki 6-4 6-0
2016 Simona Halep d Madison Keys 7-6(2) 6-3
2015 Belinda Bencic d Simona Halep 7-6(5) 6-7(4) 3-0 RET
2014 Agnieszka Radwanska d Venus Williams 6-4 6-2
2013 Serena Williams d Sorana Cirstea 6-2 6-0
2012 Petra Kvitova d Na Li 7-5 2-6 6-3

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