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The 2023 Adelaide International 1 kicks off a busy week of tennis. The combined ATP and WTA event will be held from January 1-8.
A host of top women players have signed up for this WTA 500 event. World No. 2 and two-time Grand Slam runner-up Ons Jabeur leads the field as the top seed. Fellow top 10 players Aryna Sabalenka, Daria Kasatkina and Veronika Kudermetova round out the top four seeds.
Plenty of Grand Slam champions, both reigning and former, are in the mix as well. Elena Rybakina, Victoria Azarenka, Garbine Muguruza and Bianca Andreescu are some of the Major winners in the draw.
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2022 Australian Open finalist Danielle Collins, along with Karolina Pliskova and Amanda Anisimova, are other noteworthy names in the fray.
On that note, here's an in-depth look at how the Adelaide International 1 draw might unfold:
Top Half: Elena Rybakina and Victoria Azarenka look to challenge Ons Jabeur at Adelaide International 1
Seeded players: (1) Ons Jabeur, (3) Daria Kasatkina, (5) Danielle Collins and (6) Anett Kontaveit
Expected semifinal: Ons Jabeur vs Daria Kasatkina
Dark horse: Qinwen Zheng
Analysis: After a brilliant 2022 season, Ons Jabeur will be aiming to continue her exploits. The top seed has received a first-round bye and is expected to face Sorana Cirstea in the second round. She's likely to get past her and punch her ticket into the quarterfinals.
Elena Rybakina and Danielle Collins are drawn to face each other in an exciting opener. The winner is likely to meet either Jamie Fourlis or a qualifier after that, a winnable prospect. Awaiting them in the last eight would be Jabeur. For Rybakina, it would set up a rematch of their Wimbledon final, which she ended up winning.
Daria Kasatkina leads an open section of the top half of the Adelaide International 1 draw. She'll start against a qualifier and could meet either Priscilla Hon or another qualifier in the next round. She's a safe bet to make the quarterfinals from here, but she's known to suffer a shock loss from time to time.
Anett Kontaveit had a strong start to 2022 but fizzled out as the year progressed. She was handed a tough opener in the form of Qinwen Zheng. The Chinese youngster has improved considerably over the past year and has the potential to knock out her higher-ranked opponent.
The winner will face Victoria Azarenka in the second round for a place in the final eight, where they're likely to be up against Kasatkina. While the two-time Major champion isn't that consistent anymore, she still plays at a high level fairly often.
Semifinal prediction: Ons Jabeur vs Qinwen Zheng
Bottom half: Aryna Sabalenka aiming for a better start at this year's Adelaide International 1
Seeded players: (2) Aryna Sabalenka, (4) Veronika Kudermetova, (7) Jelena Ostapenko and (8) Ekaterina Alexandrova
Expected semifinal: Aryna Sabalenka vs Veronika Kudermetova
Dark horse: Amanda Anisimova
Analysis: Second seed Aryna Sabalenka had a fairly successful 2022, but despite making three finals, she couldn't manage to lift a single trophy. She crashed out in the second round at last year's Adelaide International 1. She has received a first-round bye and is slated to face either Zhang Shuai or Liudmila Samsonova in the second round.
Both players are tough opponents and given Sabalenka's inconsistency these days, the likelihood of an early exit is strong. Even if she wins, her possible quarterfinal opponents could give her a tough time as well. The Belarusian can meet anyone from Kaia Kanepi, Marketa Vondrousova or Ekaterina Alexandrova in the last eight.
Veronika Kudermetova and Amanda Anisimova are set to face off in the first round here. Both players had a pretty good year, especially the former, who made her top 10 debut towards the end. This is an evenly matched contest, with the final outcome swinging in either player's favor.
The winner will take on the victor of the match between Garbine Muguruza and Bianca Andreescu. The Spaniard tumbled down the rankings after a dismal year and will be aiming to start the new season with a clean slate. The Canadian, on the other hand, made her comeback and notched up a few decent results.
It's tough to pick a quarterfinalist from this section, but Anisimova has a good shot at making the cut. 2017 French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko is up against former World No. 1 Karolina Pliskova in another exciting first-round battle.
Ostapenko had her moments of brilliance, while Pliskova missed a decent chunk of the season due to an injury. Upon her return, her results were rather underwhelming as she finished the year outside the top 10 for the first time since 2015.
The Latvian has a slight edge in this encounter and is likely to meet Irina-Camelia Begu in the second round for a spot in the last eight. But it seems like a tough prospect for Ostapenko to make it past the quarterfinals, considering the draw.
Semifinal prediction: Liudmila Samsonova vs Amanda Anisimova
Prediction for Adelaide International 1 final: Ons Jabeur def. Amanda Anisimova
