he 2024
Australian Open was filled with surprises in the women's main draw, with 20 out
of the 32 seeded players eliminated in the first few days. This marks the year
with the fewest seeded players advancing, at least until the third round, since
the introduction of the seeding system in 2002.
Among the
remaining seeded players, only five are from the top-10, and seven are among
the top 16 seeds, who were guaranteed to face opponents with lower rankings at
least until the fourth round.
The most
significant upsets occurred on the fifth day, with the departure of two top-5
players.
Elena Rybakina (No. 3) fell to Anna Blinkova in an incredible 42-point
tie-break, with a scoreline of 4-6, 6-4, 6-7(20). Additionally,
Jessica Pegula
was surprised by Clara Burel, suffering a decisive 4-6, 2-6 defeat.
Just few matchups
between seeded players in the upcoming rounds
Only two of
the third-round matches will feature two seeded players facing off. On one
side, world No. 2
Aryna Sabalenka will take on the 28th seed Lesia Tsurenko,
while the clash between former Grand Slam champion
Jelena Ostapenko (11th) and
Victoria Azarenka (18th) adds another intriguing matchup.
As of now,
there won't be any encounters between top-10 players, with the first potential
matchup possibly occurring in the quarterfinals, potentially between Sabalenka
(No. 2) and
Barbora Krejcikova (No. 9). In the remaining three quarters of the
draw, there is no more than one top-10 player in each section.
Open field emerges
in early rounds
With the
early exit of most seeded players, the draw appears much more accessible for
favorites like
Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka, and
Coco Gauff. Simultaneously,
opportunities have arisen for potential surprises among the remaining seeded
players.
Players
like
Beatriz Haddad Maia and Qinwen Zheng have opened up their possibilities.
The Brazilian is guaranteed not to face a seeded opponent until a potential
quarterfinal match with Coco Gauff, while the outlook is even more favorable
for the Chinese player, who wouldn't have to confront any top-25 players until
a potential semifinal clash with Swiatek.