"If Aryna Sabalenka chokes against either, she's washed": Tennis fans react to standout draw at Miami Open featuring Halep, Badosa and Sabalenka

Monday, 18 March 2024 at 20:00

The fans reacted to the draw of the WTA 1000 Miami Open, which highlights the match-up between Simona Halep and Paula Badosa in the first round. Additionally, the winner will face the second seed Aryna Sabalenka.

The Romanian hasn't played professionally since her first-round exit at the 2022 US Open. The 2-times Grand Slam champion was provisionally suspended in October 2022 for consuming roxadustat, and almost a year later, a total sanction of 4 years was confirmed, meaning her return could have only occurred at the end of the 2025 season at the age of 34.

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However, Halep appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and succeeded in reducing the sanction to only 9 months, a time she had already served, ensuring her immediate return to the Tour. Her first tournament is in Miami, where she received a wild card and faced a tough draw against the former world Indian Wells champion Paula Badosa.

The Spanish player has been inconsistent over the past year, and back problems forced her to end the 2023 season after Wimbledon. Badosa has already retired twice during a match in 2024 and withdrew from Indian Wells before the first round.

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Not only are they debuting against a highly credentialed opponent, but the winner will also face Aryna Sabalenka in the second round. The second seed surely didn't leave Tennis Paradise content with her exit in the round of 16 against Emma Navarro (23rd seed), which further allowed Iga Swiatek, the tournament champion, to extend her lead at the top of the rankings.

Fans had various reactions to this section of the draw; while some gave credit to Halep to start with a victory, others commented that Badosa might retire mid-match and emphasized Sabalenka's need to secure a win.

Here are some fan reactions on X:

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Frod Rod

@yamir_shie

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Replying to @TheTennisLetter

Badosa? Badosa She is a former tennis player, she goes to tournaments to play the first round and win a few thousand dollars, she should recover well and play when she is healthy so she doesn't have excuses

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Ben Banklin

@BenBanklin2021

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Replying to @TheTennisLetter

Halep will crush her

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Pina Colada Addict

@PinaColadaAdd

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Replying to @TheTennisLetter

It’s actually good, if they assigned lower ranked players to Simo people would question even if she could win, go against the most powerful player in WTA and being tested is the best way to come back.

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