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The 2023 US Open has released the women's singles draw, and top seed Iga Swiatek will kick off her campaign against Rebecca Peterson in the first round.
Swiatek is the defending champion at the tournament, having beaten Ons Jabeur in the final last year to win the third Grand Slam title of her career.
Iga Swiatek and American Coco Gauff have been drawn in the same half this year in New York, and the Pole could be up against Gauff in the quarterfinals of the tournament. Other big names in her side of the draw include Petra Kvitova, Jelena Ostapenko, and Caroline Wozniacki.
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Tennis fans soon reacted to the draw on social media, with one complaining about the regular Swiatek vs Gauff clashes. The duo have played against each other three times already this season, with Gauff winning their most recent encounter at the Cincinnati Open and Swiatek claiming the other two.
"Coco & Swiatek in the same half again???? I'm tired of that match up now fgs."
Another fan couldn't hide their excitement after seeing the seemingly easy draw for Swiatek.
"OH WE CAN WORK WITH THIS," they wrote.
For the most part, fans on Twitter were confident of Swiatek going all the way at the US Open thanks to her relatively easy draw.
"baby this is a cakewalkkkk lmfao," one fan said.
One fan, however, argued that the World No. 1's draw is the toughest of the lot.
"I think the Swiatek section is the toughest section. I was prepared to pick Coco Gauff to win the tournament, but after looking at her draw, I am starting to feel differently. She definitely got the toughest end of the deal," they opined.
Below are a few more fan reactions:
Looking back on Iga Swiatek's US Open 2022 triumph
Iga Swiatek had a stunning run at the 2022 US Open. The World No. 1 lost just two sets in the whole tournament as she eventually lifted her maiden US Open trophy and third Grand Slam overall.
The Pole began her campaign with a convincing, 6-3, 6-0, win over Jasmine Paolini in the first round. She followed it up with a second-round win over former Grand Slam winner Sloane Stephens. In the quarterfinals, the Pole was up against eighth seed Jessica Pegula, who stood no chance against Swiatek.
In the semifinals, Iga Swiatek locked horns with Sabalenka. The Belarusian won the first set but lost the match in three sets after an inspired late comeback from the 22-year-old. In the final, the top seed beat Ons Jabeur in straight sets to win the title in New York.
