Kerber & Cibulkova Face Tricky Start In Brisbane
BRISBANE, Australia – The first Premier-level event of the season starts in earnest at the Brisbane International, with five of the WTA Finals’ Elite Eight headlining the field.
The draw is out and here’s a rundown of how Angelique Kerber, Dominika Cibulkova and more are starting the first tournament of the 2017 season.
Click here for the complete Brisbane singles and doubles draws.
POSSIBLE QUARTERFINALS:
[1] Angelique Kerber vs [6] Elina Svitolina[3] Karolina Pliskova vs [8] Roberta Vinci
[5] Svetlana Kuznetsova vs [4] Garbiñe Muguruza
[7] Elena Vesnina vs [2] Dominika Cibulkova
EARLY MATCHES TO WATCH:
Monica Puig vs [6] Elina Svitolina: Two of the fastest rising stars on the tour will meet in the first round as Olympic gold medalist Puig takes on Zhuhai finalist Svitolina. Their head-to-head record is split at one apiece.
Samantha Stosur vs [4] Garbiñe Muguruza: Brisbane’s own Stosur’s first opponent at her home tournament will be Muguruza. Their head-to-head record is split at one win apiece, with the Spaniard defeating Stosur en route to her French Open title.
As the top two seeds, Kerber and Cibulkova received a bye into the second round. Kerber awaits the winner between Australian wildcard Ashleigh Barty and a qualifier, while Cibulkova will face either Laura Siegemund or Zhang Shuai.
Key information, where to watch and more: everything you need to know about Brisbane.
KERBER AND CIBULKOVA’S ROAD TO THE FINAL:
Should last year’s finalist Kerber advance to the quarterfinals, she could be looking at an early taste of revenge, with a potential encounter against Monica Puig – who defeated her in the final at the Olympic tennis event in Rio – or Elina Svitolina – who ousted her from the China Open.
It doesn’t get any easier from there, with her 2016 nemesis Karolina Pliskova or Roberta Vinci drawn as potential semifinal opponents.
For Cibulkova, a handful of dangerous floaters stand between her and the final. Elena Vesnina, who starts against the tricky Alizé Cornet, is a potential quarterfinal opponent, while the semifinals could hold Garbiñe Muguruza and Svetlana Kuznetsova.