Draw WTA Berlin Ladies Open 2025: Rybakina vs Zheng headline opener; Sabalenka and Gauff top the bill

The draw for the WTA 500 Berlin Ladies Open has been announced, featuring nine out of the top 10 players. The tournament kicks off on Monday, June 16, and for several top names, it will be their only grass-court event before Wimbledon.

The main draw is spearheaded by world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka and No. 2 Coco Gauff, both considered top favorites for the title, especially after their Roland Garros final showdown where Gauff emerged victorious in three sets. Jessica Pegula, Zheng Qinwen, and Mirra Andreeva are among the other seeded players in the tournament.

The top four seeds have a first-round bye, meaning they'll wait to learn their opponents. World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka will aim to bounce back on grass after two Grand Slam final losses this season, with her sights undoubtedly set on the Wimbledon title. She'll begin her grass-court journey against a qualifier. Fourth seed Jasmine Paolini, also in the top half of the draw, awaits for same detiny as her opponent will be define between two qualifiers.

On Gauff's side – the recent French Open champion – she also comfortably waits in the second round. Her opponent will be the winner between a qualifier or world No. 17 Daria Kasatkina. The main contender for the world No. 2 in the bottom half of the draw will be defending champion Jessica Pegula, who famously defeated Russia's Anna Kalinskaya in an epic third-set tie-break in 2024. Pegula could potentially face Naomi Osaka in a second-round clash.

With a concise 28-player draw, high-stakes matchups are expected right from the first round. Probably the most anticipated battle features former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina, who will challenge world No. 5 Zheng Qinwen. The Chinese player hasn't been overly effective on grass in previous years, but she's already racked up several wins at Queen's Club this week, showing she can aspire to much more with Wimbledon in mind. This will be an important test for both players to gauge their ambitions for the upcoming Wimbledon.

The 2023 Wimbledon champion Markéta Vondroušová also makes her return to the surface, setting up a Grand Slam champion showdown against American Madison Keys. The world No. 7 continues to play at a very high level, consistent with her entire season, and can be considered one of the contenders for SW19.

Also noteworthy is former US Open champion Bianca Andreescu, who received a wildcard and will debut against American Amanda Anisimova, while world No. 10 Emma Navarro will face off against the always challenging Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk.

It's worth noting – among the qualifying spots – that there are several players who usually compete in the main draws of these types of tournaments but didn't secure direct entry, and are now fighting for a spot in the qualifier. Maria Sakkari, Sofia Kenin, Anna Kalinskaya, and Ons Jabeur are among the players who could join the Berlin main draw.