Draw released for 2021 WTA 500 Abu Dhabi - Muguruza faces Mladenovic

The 2021 WTA season kicks off with the first-ever WTA 500 event in Abu Dhabi, staged at the Zayed Sports City's International Tennis Centre that hosts the Mubadala WTC.

The top eight seeds all come from the top-21, and we should get exciting encounters right from the opening round in the only test ahead of the Melbourne trip. The Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin is the top seed, facing Laura Siegemund or Kirsten Flipkens in the second round.

Yulia Putintseva, Maria Sakkari, Anastasia Potapova, Cori Gauff, Kristina Mladenovic and Garbine Muguruza share the top quarter, and it should be interesting to see who will reach the semis.

Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina lead the second quarter, facing Daria Kasatkina, Karolina Muchova and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova en route to the quarter-final clash. Karolina Pliskova and Marketa Vondrousova are the top-ranked players in the third quarter, with Marta Kostyuk, Leylah Fernandez, Donna Vekic and Sorana Cirstea trying to spoil their party and advance into the last four.

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Elina Svitolina and Elise Mertens seek the semi-final spot from the bottom quarter, facing Vera Zvonareva, Heather Watson, Anett Kontaveir and Alize Cornet before the potential last-eight meeting.