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The Adelaide International 1, a WTA 500 event, will take place on January 1 and will continue until January 8. With the tournament just a day away from its commencement, the draws were released on Saturday (December 31).
After a successful 2022 campaign, World No. 2 Ons Jabeur will be one of the tournament's major attractions. While she has a bye in the first round owing to her being the top seed, she might meet Sorana Cirstea in the second round. Meanwhile, Aryna Sabalenka is the second seed and has also received a bye. The 24-year-old's second-round opponent could be Liudmila Samsonova.
In the first round of this year's Adelaide International, Canadian tennis sensation Bianca Andreescu will face former World No. 1 Garbine Muguruza. Another intriguing first-round matchup will take place between 2022 Australian Open runner-up Danielle Collins and 2022 Wimbledon Champion Elena Rybakina.
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The draw, however, did not go down well with many tennis fans, who flocked to social media to express their disappointment. One fan thought it was unfair to put Andreescu and Muguruza in the first round, and wrote:
"They're nasty for putting my queens against each other in the 1st round itself."
Another fan blasted the tournament for arranging such a rigged draw.
"Cant u guys not make a rigged draw ONCE cos wtf is this," the user tweeted.
One user appeared to be upset as their favorite players were on the same side of the draw.
"No but they just put all my faves in one side and said figure it out???? Penko, Mugu, Andreescu , Amanda , Kuddyyyy, Sasnovich, auntie Zhanggg and Sabazarenkaaaa," a tweet read.
Here are a few more fan reactions:
"I’m just going to go for it; This year, 2023, is about just be free and play my game on the court" - Ons Jabeur ahead of the 2023 Adelaide International 1
In a press conference prior to the start of the 2023 Adelaide International 1, Ons Jabeur stated that following a successful 2022 campaign, she and her team worked hard to improve her game during the preseason.
"I’m glad that I got the experience enough to have two finals in a Grand Slam. We’ve worked really hard to improve a lot of things during the pre-season. We are more aware of my game. I am more aware of my body, my game. It’s a great thing," she said.
The Tunisian revealed that she is trying everything she can to win a Grand Slam in 2023 and that she is focusing on playing her best tennis freely.
"I’m doing everything possible to win a Grand Slam, and for me, I’m just going to go for it. This year, 2023, is about just be free and play my game on the court," she added.
