The 2022 Adelaide International, to be held from January 3-9, kicks off the new season of the WTA tour. The WTA 500 event lost a little bit of star power as Garbine Muguruza, Barbora Krejcikova and Karolina Pliskova, among others, have withdrawn from the tournament. However, the tournament will still feature many talented players, including five of the current top 10.
World No. 1 Ashleigh Barty leads the Adelaide International field as the top seed. World No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka, 2021 US Open and Roland Garros semifinalist Maria Sakkari and 2021 Indian Wells champion Paula Badosa round out the top four seeds. Iga Swiatek, the defending champion, is seeded fifth.
On that note, here’s an in-depth look at how the draw might unfold:
Top Half: Ashleigh Barty leads packed section of Grand Slam champions
 Ashleigh Barty, (4) Paula Badosa, (5) Iga Swiatek and (6) Sofia Kenin</p>
<p><strong>Expected semifinal:</strong> Ashleigh Barty vs Paula Badosa</p>
<p><strong>darkhorse:</strong> Leyla Fernandez</p>
<p><strong>Analysis:</strong> Ashleigh Barty will be looking to continue her dominance of the WTA tour this year. She has been the top-ranked player in the world for more than 100 consecutive weeks and won her second Grand Slam title at Wimbledon last year.</p>
<p>Barty ended her season following the 2021 US Open to recover after being on the road throughout the year. She’ll be well-rested after a decent time off from the tour. After a first-round bye, she’ll begin her Adelaide International campaign against either Coco Gauff or a qualifier.</p>
<p>Gauff is the favorite to come through her opening-round match and set up a clash with Barty. The teenager won their only encounter at the 2021 Italian Open when the Australian retired in the second set. If Barty gets past Gauff, she will likelt face her compatriot Ajla Tomljanovic or former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin.</p>
<div class=)
Main Draw at the Adelaide International (WTA 500), where Ash Barty and Aryna Sabalenka are the top two seeds. 1R: A rematch of the Indian Wells final between Paula Badosa and Victoria Azarenka. https://t.co/CjmAtyLcL6
Can’t wait to see our local stars at @AdelaideTennis this week 🙌Here’s the R1 match ups ⬇️Women’s Main Draw Singles: 🇦🇺 (1) Barty BYE🇦🇺 Tomljanovic v 🇬🇧 Watson🇦🇺 (WC) Sanders v 🇰🇿 (7) Rybakina🇦🇺 (WC) Hon v 🇨🇿 Kvitova
