Preview WTA Merida Open Akron: Emma Navarro and Paula Badosa favorites for the title

The WTA 500 Merida Open Akron will begin this Monday, February 24, and run until March 1 at the Yucatan Country Club courts in Merida, Mexico. The tournament will hold its third edition, with Zeynep Sonmez as the defending champion, although it will be the first time after its upgrade from a 250 to a 500-level event.

After replacing the San Diego Open and with significant increases in prize money and points, the tournament has attracted many more stars, with Emma Navarro and Paula Badosa leading the draw, alongside figures like Anna Kalinskaya, Marta Kostyuk, and Beatriz Haddad Maia.

The heavy favourite is Emma Navarro, the only player in the top-10 in the draw. The American defends a significant number of points from last year's San Diego Open, a WTA 500 event, which has been replaced by Merida this year in the same week, where she reached the semifinals. The 23-year-old had a rough Middle East swing, with only one win and losses to Leylah Fernandez and Sorana Cirstea.

The second seed is Paula Badosa (No. 11), who seems to be in better shape with each passing day and has come close to achieving something bigger over the past few months. At the end of 2024, she reached the quarterfinals at the US Open, semifinals at two WTA 1000 events (Cincinnati and the China Open), as well as the semifinals at the Australian Open earlier this season. She fell to Elena Rybakina in Dubai in a tight match that was decided in a third-set tie-break.

The third and fourth seeds are Beatriz Haddad Maia (No. 17) and Anna Kalinskaya (No. 34). The Brazilian has remained near the top of the rankings for a couple of seasons through consistency, but the start of the year has been unfruitful, with first-round losses in three of the four tournaments she's played. It's a good chance for Haddad Maia to make a strong run, especially with the support of the local crowd, who will surely have the Latin American player among their favourites.

Kalinskaya, on the other hand, has struggled during her Middle East swing, with first-round losses at the Qatar Open and Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships. The latter was especially painful, as she was defending the final from last year, falling 15 places in the rankings and out of the top-30.

The seeds also include 2024 Paris Olympic silver medalist Donna Vekic (No. 20), Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk (No. 21), Magdalena Frech (No. 28), and Maria Sakkari (No. 29)

A new teenager is looking to make her mark at the top level and has earned a wildcard that could be a launching pad in Renata Jamrichova’s career. The former junior No. 1, born in 2007 – the same year as Mirra Andreeva – is a left-handed player who won the Australian Open and Wimbledon juniors in 2024, and reached two more junior major finals.

In 2023, she became the youngest player to represent Slovakia in the Billie Jean King Cup. At just 15 years old, she defeated Argentine Nadia Podoroska – a former French Open semifinalist – in straight sets. We’ll see if she’s ready to take her first step in the professional world and she will have a great stage to debut when she faces Spanish Jessica Bouzas Maneiro.

The young Turkish player (No. 88) was unable to enter the tournament directly with her ranking, so she received a wildcard as the defending champion of the tournament, although it was still a WTA 250 event at that time. The 22-year-old defeated local star Renata Zarazua, former Australian Open junior champion Alina Korneeva, and American Ann Li in the final, propelling her into the top 100 for the first time in her career.

Little by little, she is gaining experience in top-level tournaments, alternating with some appearances in qualifying rounds. Sonmez continues to rise in the rankings, and returning to Merida, just months after winning the title, could be an inspiring place to win some matches and keep climbing. She will face a tough task in the first round against Maria Sakkari.

At 28 years old, Rebecca Sramkova has found consistency in her career and has become a name to be feared. In the recent Billie Jean King Cup Finals, she was Slovakia’s standout player in their run to the final, where she scored victories over Danielle Collins, Alja Tomljanovic, and Katie Boulter, although she fell short against Jasmine Paolini in the title match.

Sramkova had a great finish to 2024, reaching three WTA 250 finals between September and November – her first-ever finals – capturing the title in Hua Hin 2 against Laura Siegemund. Less than two weeks ago, she defeated Mirra Andreeva in Doha, just days before the teenager lifted her first WTA trophy. This Monday, Sramkova reached her career-high ranking of No. 40.